


The Alchemist || Draco Malfoy

by sprintingfox



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance, Sprinting Fox, SprintingFox
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 57
Words: 159,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23273539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sprintingfox/pseuds/sprintingfox
Summary: She was 14 when she discovered the beautiful school that was Hogwarts after boring years of attending Beauxbatons. At age 15, her mother decided to send her there instead. She was sorted into Ravenclaw and became best friends with many people who would change her life— one more than the others.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Juliana Romano, Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for any typos! I didn't edit it before uploading everything to all the platforms I have it on so please try and read through them, thanks!
> 
> All credit for original characters and original plot goes to J.K. Rowling. I own only my OCs and select scenes not from the original series. Thank you Joanne, for writing the series. Thank you all, for reading.

I stared at myself. What was even I thinking?

My long brown hair was covered in sap and prickly balls from the woods. I doubted I'd be able to untagle that and wash it, it'd need to be cut short. Out of impulse I grabbed my wand and waved it. From my shoulders down, my hair fell to the floor. I sighed and stared into the mirror again.

My eyes were still a shining brown in the light but right now, they were watery from my frustration. I hated when I cried, I felt so weak. Around my eyes was a circle of dirt that expanded all the way down my face to the base of my neck where my shirt rested.

My skin was normally a nice tan covered in light freckles but today, it was covered in dirt and I looked like a raccoon because of the glasses I'd been wearing.

Today I was meant to leave Beauxbatons forever, and never return. I was transferring to Hogwarts because we were moving to Godric's Hollow from Dijon Village, in France. The village was a safe space for us wizard folk. The french love to gossip about magic.

I decided I'd go out with a bang. Our Headmistress Madame Maxime was gone before the term ended and our Deputy Headmistress Madame Reid was a nasty bit of work. No one liked her and I wanted to make sure she never forgot me.

Clarisse had helped me plan it. I'd brew a concoction that would create a big mass of sticky goo that would go to every inch of floor in the school and make it impossible for anyone to walk around.

Of course It was a success except that when Madame Reid saw me, she chased me out into the forest and I tripped down a hill, where I ended up in a mud pond and well, now look the way I do.

I don't know what got into me but it felt like the right thing to do since I was normally pretty quiet and just kind of sat off to the side and watched the world go by.

Beauxbatons had been such a boring experience. All the girls there were veela and the boys naturally gushed over them like crazy, so there was that aspect of no one being available for me since I'm well, average. I'm part of the 20% of the girls that are not veela. Great.

Madame Reid expelled me even though I had already submitted my transfer. She claimed she was going to write a letter to Hogwarts' Headmaster and explain what type of student I was but I snuck a Confuddling Concoction I brewed into her tea and she forgot about it.

Clarisse was the only one that was actually sad to see me go. The rest of the girls are just drama queens who don't really care about anyone.

When my mum picked me up, I told her what I'd done and she laughed. My mother is beautiful and honestly I have no idea how she isn't a veela. Her beautiful golden brown locks fall to her shoulderblades in elegant and loose curls. Her eyes are a shimmering blue and her face is structured so perfectly. I look a lot more like my father, according to her. I never met him though, he died when I was a baby.

My mother is French, and my father Italian. Surprisingly they both went to Beauxbatons. In fact, they met there. My father was three years older than my mother but they met anyways and fell in love, as they say. They became involved in our Ministry's foreign affairs office and traveled all over, where they discovered Hogwarts. They fell in love with it instantly, like I did. Unfortunately a bit after I was born, my father went to England to investigate more about Hogwarts and was murdered while he was staying at Godric's Hollow on Halloween of 1981. My mum reckons he ran into You Know Who the night he killed Harry Potter's parents.

My mother had always dreamed of me going to Hogwarts but my godmother had insisted I go to Beauxbatons to become a lady. She made sure I stayed in Beauxbatons and would not let my mother even think about transferring me to Hogwarts. When she moved to America, my mother immediately submitted the transfer and was approved.

Last year, during the Triwizard Tournament, I discovered Hogwarts. It was beautifully built, a gothic style castle from all the muggle books I'd ever read. Something straight out of a fairytale. The lights inside were welcoming, and the beams that held it up made it seem like it held a lot of power.

I'd enjoyed my time there and had loved every aspect of it. I had taken everything in like it was a story, and was longing to see it again.

I'd only met a few people when I was there. The famous Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They'd seemed quite nice, and I was excited I would see them again. Perhaps we could be friends.

Since it was already August (Beauxbatons starts in August) I didn't have to wait a long time to get to go to Hogwarts. The instant we arrived in London, we went straight to Diagon Alley.

"Oh I love it here," my mother said, staring at all the buildings like a small child. I laughed and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, mum. I'm going to need new robes. Hogwarts doesn't wear silvery blue," I said.

"Ah yes. Seems that place sells robes," she said, pointing enthusiastically at a small store with a big sign that read "Madame Malkins."

"Maybe you should get robes too, mum. You're almost more excited to be here than I am," I said, laughing.

"Oh hush, you know how school shopping makes me feel," she said with a smirk as we walked inside.

The store was much more simple than the ones in France. It was more cozy, and more to the point. The robe store in France tried to sell perfumes there too.

"Come up on this stool, dear," she urged me as she excitedly took my coat off.

The woman who ran the store came out from the back.

"Oh lovely, new customers! Who might you be?" Madame Malkin asked.

"I'm Emilia Romano," my mother said, shaking her hand enthusiastically.

"Jules," I said, turning to shake the woman's hand as well.

"Pleasure to meet you. You seem new, I don't think I've met you before," Madame Malkin noticed.

"Ah you haven't. We've come from France," my mother said.

"But you don't sound French! What perfect English you have," Madame Malkin noticed.

"Took a lot of practice," I said with a small laugh. Madame Malkin took out a tape measure and started measuring my body.

"You're quite tall," Madame Malkin said.

"Oh yes she gets it from my husband," my mother said. I wasn't really that tall, most people only said that because my mum was in fact very petite. She was merely 5'2, and my father had been 6'3. I was luckily not a 6 foot tall 15 year old, I was only 5'5.

I heard voices and turned slightly. I saw two blonde heads walk in.

"Madame Malkin, my son needs new robes," the blonde woman said.

"Yes of course, Mrs Malfoy. I'll be right there," Madame Malkin said hurriedly. These people must be important.

The boy seemed about my age. He looked at me and smiled. I returned the smile. He was handsome, with semi messy white blonde hair and dazzling, intense blue eyes. He was quite pale but he still looked cute. His mother had dark eyes but equally blonde hair and pale skin. She seemed to be angry or thoughtful about something. The boy simply looked bored.

"Do you go to Hogwarts?" I asked him.

"Yes. You? I don't think I've ever seen you before," He said.

"I'll be starting fifth year there this year. I previously went to Beauxbatons," I said.

"Is it true there are no boys in your school?" He asked curiously.

"Oh no they just chose to stay behind last year because none wanted to ruin their perfect complexions with English weather," I said. It was meant to be a joke but I didn't know if he knew all the boys were veela.

He laughed though and his mother's mouth twitched into what was almost a smile.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" He asked.

"I don't know about them," I said.

"Slytherin's the best, that's all you need to know," he said.

"How many houses are there?" I asked.

"Four. Gryffindor- those are a lot of show offs, Ravenclaw- they're nerds, the bunch of them, Hufflepuff- pretty weak people of you ask me, and Slytherin- where all the real wizards are," he said.

"I can tell you're a real wizard," I said. He smirked.

"I can also tell you don't fancy the other houses at all," I continued. He shrugged and his mother moved away to another part of the store.

"I'm Juliana. Juliana Romano. You can call me Jules if you'd like," I said, extending my arm out to him.

"Draco Malfoy," he said, smiling and shaking my hand.

Madame Malkin walked back with my robes.

"Thank you ma'am," I said as I took out a few Galleons and paid for my robes. I may have flashed my pocket a lot because Draco's eyes widened.

"You really think it's safe to carry so much money in your pocket? My father says you can't trust anyone with money these days, especially not with all the Mudbloods around," Draco said. I frowned.

"I think the Muggle borns are fine, and not thieves. We Purebloods are mostly the crooks," I said fiercely. Draco stared at the floor.

"We need to go, Jules," my mother said, tugging at my shirt.

"See you at Hogwarts," I mumbled, walking off the stand and out of the store.

When we were out of earshot, my mother turned to me.

"He's cute," she noticed.

"I know," I said.

"You know everything," my mother sighed.

"Learned it from the best," I said with a smirk. She smiled and kissed my forehead.

"You'll love Hogwarts, Jules. Your dad and I always knew you would," she said.

"I sure hope so. I'd hate for everyone there to be just as much of a Pureblood supremacist as Draco," I said.

"He's probably an only child, he doesn't know any better," my mother said.

"Probably not, but if he keeps acting like that around me then we won't get along," I said.

"I doubt it," my mother said, smirking at me.

"What?" I demanded.

"Nothing," she said. I rolled my eyes and playfully pushed her away.

Whatever Hogwarts was going to bring, I was ready.


	2. Chapter 2

The ceiling was so much prettier than Beauxbatons. Seriously. Realistic weather patterns were portrayed in a manner that made it feel more like we were dining in an outdoor pavilion rather than a Great Hall.

The Hall was longer than Beauxbatons too. In Beauxbatons, the "Great Hall" was like a circular room with round tables everywhere for anyone to sit where they pleased. The floors were marble and the walls and ceiling were a pale baby blue and glistened with glittery snowflakes in the winter, and sported puffy painted clouds in the spring.

My heart was pounding powerfully in my chest. A thump per every step I took. I looked odd among all the first years, certainly not the tallest but clearly the oldest there. I felt eyes staring at me intently, some with curiosity others with boredom. I doubt anyone knew who I was but I recognized a few faces from last year when I watched the Tournament. I saw Harry Potter and his friends. As I walked down the Hall, I caught his eye and smiled. His eyes lit up and he waved, remembering me. I had comforted his friend Ron when Fleur rejected his invitation to the Yule Ball.

The names began to be called. I could hear my heartbeat ringing in my ears. I wasn't going to hear my name with all that ringing inside my head. What if I ended up in a bad house? I didn't want Slytherin, they'd told me only bad witches and wizards went there. And I was told Hufflepuff was the lamest although I didn't really believe it since Cedric Diggory (rest his soul) had been one.

"Romano, Juliana."

I don't know if I hesitated but I feel I must have because I don't recall walking forward right away.  
"We have a new fifth year student this year, Juliana Romano. She's come from Beauxbatons and I hope you all offer her a warm welcome," the tall woman holding the Sorting Hat said as she smiled at me and urged me to sit on the stool. I sat and stared at the people in the Hall. All eyes were on me. The hat came onto my head.

"This is a difficult, difficult choice," the hat mumbled.

"How come?" I asked.

"Well you're very cunning and ambitious. Slytherin would suit you well," the hat said.

"I don't want to go there," I mumbled.

"I suppose not. Gryffindor...you have a lot of courage in you. I suspect you're quick to jump to a friend's aide when they are being oppressed," the hat continued.

"Mostly," I said.

"Hufflepuff also, you have a kind heart. Capable of loving even the most damaged person," the hat noticed.

"I wouldn't know," I said.

"Now Ravenclaw, nearly tied with Slytherin. You're quite witty and seek knowledge. I can tell you thirst for it, possibly more than friendships," the hat said.  
"I'm kind of antisocial," I said.

"I know the house for you. Yes. RAVENCLAW!"

The blue table erupted into loud cheers as they stood up and clapped, welcoming me to their house. The tall witch took the hat off my head and smiled.  
I walked down and found a seat at the table, between an Asian girl and a blonde girl, and in front of a Hispanic girl. The Asian girl was pretty, with long and straight jet black hair and curious, bright eyes. She had a nice smile, and nice tan skin. The blonde girl was quite pale but still quite beautiful. I could tell she was the oddball in the group but clearly one of the most intellectual ones. She had long wavy hair and pale blue eyes that wandered all over the room. The Hispanic girl had lovely tan skin and was beautiful, with mischievous chestnut colored eyes. Her hair was the longest out of all the girls, and the most radiant. It was also chestnut colored, wavy and healthy.

"Hi! Welcome to Ravenclaw! I'm Cho Chang, sixth year," the Asian girl said.

"Hey I think I remember you from the tournament," I recalled. She smiled a bit then her smile dropped.

"Oh I'm sorry," I said quickly.

"Not your fault," she said. The blonde girl looked at me curiously.

"I'm Luna Lovegood, fourth year. You have natural highlights," she noticed, carefully grasping a strand of my hair and twirling it in her hands. I smiled and looked to the Hispanic girl.

"I'm Celeste Martinez, fifth year too," she said.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Juliana Romano, you can call me Jules. Pronounced as 'jewels,'" I said.

"Are you Russian?" Luna asked curiously.

"Italian, it sounds a lot like Romanov, doesn't it?" I said. Cho smiled.

"I think we're going to be good friends," she said with a smile. I smiled back.

The tall wizard with a beard, I think his name was Dumbledore, began to speak.

"Well now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," Dumbledore said.

Beauxbatons didn't do notices. We didn't really have many rules. Basically just do your best and don't get pregnant, since most of the girls and guys were part veela and VERY attractive.

"First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students-and a few of our older students ought to know by now too."

"Isn't that why it's called the Forbidden Forest?" I asked.

"Well not everyone listens," Cho said with a laugh, looking at Harry.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you that all magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door," Dumbledore said.

I scanned the teachers who sat up there with Dumbledore.

"Who's the lady in the pink?" I asked.

"Don't know. But the tall witch with emerald robes- she's Professor McGonagall. She's head of Gryffindor. The one with the glasses and funny beard next to her is Professor Flitwick, our head of house. Then we have Professor Sprout- she's sitting next to Flitwick- head of Hufflepuff house. The black haired teacher off to the end is Professor Snape, head of Slytherin house," Celeste said.

"He doesn't look too pleasant," I said.

"He favors Slytherins most. Despises Gryffindors, is pretty decent to us and the Hufflepuffs for the most part. He usually shuns us and Hermione Granger of Gryffindor for being 'know it alls.' Last year, Devin Hendricks corrected him on something and he gave him a detention," Cho said.

"That's ridiculous," I mumbled.

"We have two changes in staffing this year. We are pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," Dumbledore said.

Murmurs broke out and Celeste groaned.

"There's no way that woman knows how to defend herself! She's probably about as harmless as a snail," Celeste said. I laughed.

"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on-" Dumbledore started but a nightmare cut him off.

"Hem, hem," the toad said.  
I heard collective gasps.

"No one has ever dared to interrupt Dumbledore! I'll grab her by her stupid cardigan and-and-throw her in the Black Lake!" Celeste growled. I could already tell we would be very close friends.

"Thank you Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome," Professor Umbridge said.

I looked around and saw a lot of people staring at her like they would rather be anywhere else.

"Well it's lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She said. Nobody was welcoming.

"And such happy little faces looking back at me!" Umbridge said.

"I doubt anyone is happy," I noticed.

"She wishes we were happy to see her," Celeste agreed.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends," Umbridge said.

Murmurs broke out and I felt the tension rising. I saw a blonde boy at the Slytherin table roll his eyes. Was that Draco? I believe so.

"Hem hem," Umbridge said again.

"Oh can she shut her trap," Celeste moaned. I snickered.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching," Umbridge said.

"English please," I groaned.

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. Then again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation...." Umbridge ranted on.

Celeste faked snoring a little too loudly. Umbridge shot us a sharp look.

"Tiffany Do is DROOLING," Cho noticed.

"....because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgement. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, in a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited." Umbridge finished her long drag.

"Are all the teachers that bad?" I squeaked, noticing that several Slytherins were sleeping on the table.

"Not at all. She's got to be the worst to ever take up the Defence Against the Dark Arts position," Cho said.

"Is it true that position is jinxed?" I asked.

"Supposedly! We've never had a teacher stay longer than a year! Moody ended up being a psychopath, Lupin was a werewolf- he was the best though- and Lockhart was an airhead. Quirrel well he was ok he just had You Know Who on the back of his head," Celeste said.

"This school is wild," I said with awe. Celeste laughed.

"You're going to love it though," Cho said. Luna was tinkering with her bracelet but she nodded when Cho said that.

We got up and began walking out into the Hall.

"You'll learn your way around soon, but for now just stick with me. We'll likely have a very similar schedule, except I noticed you had an Alchemy journal. That's too advanced for me," Celeste said.

"Really? We can take it since first year. Nobody does though, there were only four people in the class when I started first year. Then second year to last year there were two of us," I said.

"You must be really smart," Cho marveled. I blushed a bit.

"I wouldn't say that," I said quietly.

"Embrace it! That's why you're in Ravenclaw," Celeste said. I noticed Luna had disappeared.

"I suppose so," I said with a smile.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw Harry Potter and his friends.

"Hi," I said with a big smile.

"Hey, Juliana right? We were remembering you from last year. Hope we have classes together," Harry said.

"I'd like that, especially with you Hermione," I said, looking at her, "they tell me you'd make a nice Ravenclaw."

Hermione blushed and smiled.

"I hope we do," she said. Ron smiled at me.

"Thanks for last year, you know. Don't remember thanking you. I was a bit dazed," Ron said. I laughed.

"Don't worry, you're not the only one. That guy she went with got lucky," I said.

"Yeah, Roger Davies. Who would have thought?" Hermione said. I shrugged and smiled.

"Well catch you later, Jules," Harry said. I waved at them all as they walked away.

I turned back and saw the blonde guy I was sure was Draco Malfoy. I looked at him, hoping he might recognize me, but he stared and quickly looked away. Bummer.

"You're very social, I see," Cho said.

"For the most part. I'm just selective about who I trust," I said.

"Also a Ravenclaw attribute," Celeste said with a smirk.

"You were made for this house. The hat did take awhile sorting you though," Cho said.

"It said I had aptitude for all the houses," I said.

"Those end up being the best people," Celeste said, putting her arm around me. I smiled, feeling welcomed.

Celeste and Cho showed me to the Ravenclaw Common Room, where I learned that getting in might not always be the simplest thing.

The dormitories were not as elegant as Beauxbatons ones. In Beauxbatons, there were crystal chandeliers in every room and stitched blankets with elaborate patterns. The beds were beautifully structured and the room was a lovely baby blue. At least I was used to the blue here.

"You'll like it here," Celeste said.

She introduced me to my other dormmates. There was Chelsea "Char" Doherty, Karina Cardenas, and Seo-Jin Cha. Chelsea had a pixie cut that was a faded turquoise, and she had light brown eyes. She was the shortest, but definitely the fiercest. Karina was also on the short side but was more shy and had shorter black hair, and pale green eyes. Seo-Jin's hair was in tight braids but I assume it was straight and probably waist length. It was jet black like Cho's, except her eyes were more on the dark brown side.

I liked the girls immediately, they made me feel quite at home. That night when I went to sleep, I knew I was going to enjoy my time here at Hogwarts. The only thing left to do now is strike up a conversation with Draco Malfoy....


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up the next morning I felt amazing.

My hair of course was an absolute mess. Having short hair was something I still hadn't gotten used to but I'd have to make do.

Celeste was still asleep so I got ready and went to wander around the school, hoping I might find someone to show me around. Maybe I could surprise Celeste and show her I'd learned my whole schedule.

I walked out of my common room and stared down the dimly lit corridor. Maybe it was too early for anyone to be awake. Nevertheless I walked down the familiar path to the Great Hall.

From there, I kept going down the adjacent hallway. I found the Hospital Wing, which was useful. I also found a door that led out into the a courtyard that had a beautiful little fountain in the middle.

After that I sort of got lost but I did find the Charms and Transfiguration classrooms and after awhile learned how the Grand Staircase operated. I ended up finding where Herbology, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Potions were.

I was already in the dungeon area by this point and decided to challenge myself with finding the Slytherin Common Room.

"Maybe I'll see Draco," I told myself.

I wandered aimlessly around the dungeons and found a dark corridor with beams that held the repeated row of domed ceilings high up. I must've walked into the beam's base because at one point I tripped and got scared.

I wanted more than anything to find a Hogwarts ghost and speak to it. In Beauxbatons, we didn't have those. Poltergeists were a term no one was familiar with because no one had ever seen one. I knew Hogwarts had a famous one named Peeves. Maybe I could find Peeves.

I kept walking and arrived in another hallway, where this time I saw someone sitting and reading a book.

"Draco?" I asked.

His blonde head turned up quickly and snapped the book shut. I laughed and walked closer.

"Do you remember me?" I asked.

"Jules, right?" He said, gulping as he tried to discreetly put his book inside his bag.

"What were you reading?" I asked.

"Nothing," he mumbled. I raised an eyebrow.

"You can tell me," I said with a smile. He hesitated and took the book out.

"Elements of the Earth! That's my favorite Alchemy related novel. Its got sooo many plot twists. How far along are you?" I asked. Draco stared at me with confusion.

"You've read this before? I didn't think anyone had, nobody takes Alchemy here, much less read novels about it," Draco said.

"Oh I've been taking Alchemy since first year! It's my favorite subject. I'd like to teach it or be an Alchemist when I graduate," I said. Draco's smile grew bigger.

"I'm taking it this year too. I'm really good at it, but I don't want my friends to know that. They'd think I'd become Granger," Draco said. I gave him a puzzled look.

"I don't understand why that's bad," I said. He hesitated then mouthed "Mudblood." I nodded and sighed.

"When do you have it?" I asked.

"Today, 3rd hour. Let me see your schedule," he said. I took out a wrinkled piece of paper and gave it to him.

"We've got all our classes together, that's great," he said with a smile. I felt excited.

"Well I've found all the classrooms except Astronomy and Alchemy, I think," I said.

"I know where the Alchemy one is. I can show you. Astronomy is nearby your common room, in the Astronomy Tower," Draco said.

"That's nice. Could you should me?" I asked. He nodded, slipping the book back into his bag. He checked his watch.

"Actually, Jules, we should have breakfast first because otherwise we won't get a chance to eat until after Alchemy," Draco said.

"That's fine, you can show me later since we'll have the previous class together," I said. Draco nodded and led the way to the cafeteria.

"So, have you liked it here so far?" Draco asked.

"Yes I really have. It's loads better than Beauxbatons. Everyone there is boring. Did you know we had double Etiquette every day? Learning to be proper. Waste of time, really," I said.

Draco laughed.

"You should smile more often," I said. He quickly began to frown.

"Why do you say that?" He asked rather sharply, extending his arm out to open the door of the Great Hall for me.

"Because you have a nice smile," I said, walking in and waving goodbye to him.

Celeste was reading a book and eating porridge when I arrive. Luna was reading as well, but her dosage of knowledge came from a newspaper which she read upside down. She was eating eggs. Cho wasn't there.

"Where's Cho?" I asked.

"Prefect meeting before breakfast," Celeste said, putting her book down to face me. I felt touched, because everyone knows that people who enjoy reading only put their books down to speak with people they really care about. I did that too.

"Who are the prefects?" I asked.

"Well for our house, fifth year prefects are Terry Boot and Seo Jin. Sixth year is Cho and Adrian Jin. Seventh year is Destiny Devonshire and Liam Nichols," Celeste said.

"Is Harry Potter a prefect?" I asked.

"No, it's Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger actually. Wonder why he didn't get it," Celeste said. I shrugged.

"Prefects are normally so stuck up. Cho isn't like that, though," I said. Celeste smirked.

"You could've been a prefect if you came here before," she noticed.

"I doubt it. I was a troublemaker at my school. The only reason Dumbledore didn't get a letter about that is because I slipped some Confunding Concoction into my Headmistress' tea when I got expelled," I said. Celeste's mouth dropped open.

"Expelled? I thought you were just a transfer!" She said, a mischievous grin creeping onto her face.

"I technically got expelled after I had already become an official Hogwarts student," I said. Luna chuckled a bit. She rolled up her magazine and looked at me.

"You're funny, Jules. You remind me of the Weasley Twins," she said with a dreamy voice.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Over there, the two redheads sitting by Harry Potter. Fred and George. Absolutely gorgeous but Fred's got a girlfriend and George is talking to someone. Pranking masters," Celeste said. I noticed she stared at them quite fondly.

"Are you close with them?" I asked.

"No, she's just had a crush on George since third year," a boy said. I turned to see a boy with dark brown eyes and hair, and a bit pale of a face looking at Celeste with a smirk.

"Hi," I said.

"I'm Michael Corner," he said, extending his arm out. I shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Juliana Romano. Jules for short," I said with a smile.

"Nice to meet a real veela," Michael said. I noticed his eyes traveled up and down my body. My cheeks got red.

"I'm not any bit veela," I said. His eyes got wide.

"Seriously? You're really pretty," he said. I smiled and mumbled a soft "thanks."

"I would assume we have Alchemy together, since you have a journal for it," Michael said.

"Oh you're taking Alchemy too?" I asked.

"Yeah. You and I and a seventh year named Aaron Boot- he's Terry Boot's older brother- are the only Ravenclaw's taking Alchemy. Gryffindors, there's just Meredith Orr, she's a seventh year. No Hufflepuffs and only Draco Malfoy from Slytherin, I'd assume since he took the class last year. So just five of us," Michael said.

"That's better than two. In Beauxbatons, there were only two of us," I said. Michael's eyes widened.

"Nobody is daring enough to take it at all then," he said, whistling. I laughed and shrugged.

"Beauxbatons isn't known for having the smartest students," I said. He laughed then turned to the right of us.

"Terry Boot is calling me over. Nice meeting you, Jules," Michael said, shaking my hand again and leaving to end of the table.

"He found you attractive. But be careful. Let me tell you, Michael is a bit of a player," Celeste said.

"I can tell. He seems like he'd make a good friend though," I said. Celeste nodded.

"Terry Boot is cool too. He's that lighter brown haired boy next to Michael," Celeste said, motioning in the direction Michael had gone. I nodded when I saw him.

"Who else is in our year in terms of boys?" I asked.

"Well there's Anthony Goldstein- he's that sandy haired boy reading. Then there's Julian St Clair, he's the ginger sleeping on the table. And lastly there's Gideon Devonshire, he's that really attractive brown haired guy that's eating pancakes," Celeste explained, again looking fondly towards the boys but mostly to Gideon.

"I'm guessing Destiny is Gideon's older sister," I said. Destiny didn't answer, she simply kept staring over.

"Do you have a crush on Gideon?" I asked. She looked at me quickly and scrunched up her nose.

"Don't even insinuate it," she said fiercely. I laughed and shrugged, beginning to eat my oatmeal.

When I finished I decided to go ask Harry Potter if we had any classes together. Celeste refused to come with me and I knew exactly why.

"Hi Harry, Ron, Hermione," I said with a wave as I walked up to their table.

"Hey Jules! We have you for any classes?" Ron asked.

"I hope so," I said, showing them all my schedule.

"We basically have every class together except Alchemy," Hermione said. I smiled.

"Same here, except we're not taking Ancient Runes or Arithmancy either," Harry said. Ron nodded.

"Awesome! Glad I'll be seeing you guys there," I said.

I turned to Fred and George.

"You're supposedly famous so I'm going to introduce myself. Juliana Romano. I go by Jules," I said. George smirked.

"We are indeed famous. Gred and Forge Weasley, Pranking Kings," he said, shaking my hand. Fred smiled and did the same. Fred's girlfriend turned to me.

"Oh! You're the new girl, right? I'm Angelina Johnson. Don't be scared to try out for Quidditch if you'd like, by the way," she said. I shook her hand and smiled.

"Will do!" I said enthusiastically. I had already met so many people I felt nice and welcomed.

I decided to try and meet even more people. At the Hufflepuff table I met Hannah Abbott, Ernie MacMillan, Justin Flint-Fletchley, and Susan Bones. At the Slytherin table I met Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Blaise Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson. Pansy seemed nice but aligned a lot with supremacist ideas like Draco. Vincent and Gregory didn't seem nice but were tolerable. Blaise was amazing, it turns out we had Arithmancy and Ancient Runes together.

After that the morning bell rang to start heading to class. I ran to our table to grab my things and followed Celeste down the now really full hall to History of Magic.


	4. Chapter 4

History of Magic was downright boring.

In Beauxbatons, Madame Pontius made History very interesting. She made the events funny, for example when Sir Larabee cursed King James' nose off for raising the taxes 60%, she described it as "Sir Larabee screwing up Jamie's face for being a little shit that taxed the hell out of everyone."

Professor Binns was not only boring, he was dead. He was the first ghost I met at Hogwarts. Brilliant.

Celeste fell asleep right away, so I moved to sit next to Hermione who was actually taking notes just like me. Behind us, Harry and Ron were talking. I decided to just have my quill write what Binns taught us word for word so I could talk with the boys.

"This really sucks," I said.

"Exactly! See Hermione, the class sucks!" Ron said.

Hermione just scoffed but I saw her smile.

"Hermione is the only one that can resist the soporific power of his voice!" Harry said. I giggled quietly. Binns didn't notice.

"Let's play hangman," Ron suggested. I twisted myself around completely to play.

I noticed Draco Malfoy looking at me a few times and I waved but he just half smiled and continued to take notes. At one point Harry turned back and saw him.

"You're friends with Malfoy?" He asked.

"Yes. He doesn't really seem to want to talk when others are around though," I said.

"He's really mean. To everyone honestly. He called Hermione a Mudblood in second year. And he's just always being a prick," Harry said.

"I'm guessing you hate each other," I deduced. He nodded and Ron came into the conversation.

"Malfoy's a pile of rat dung, better not to associate with him," he said.

"Well I think he's kind and I'm going to be his friend," I said, a bit loud because I noticed Draco looked up at me again. I do believe he smiled.

We played three rounds of hangman and six rounds of tic tac toe with them before the class ended. I woke Celeste up and she and I tagged along with the trio. Hermione was cross.

"Harry and Ron, at least Jules has her quill taking the notes! How would it be, if I refused to lend you my notes this year?" Hermione asked the boys. I snickered as Ron's mouth dropped open.

"We'd fail our OWLs! If you want that on your conscience Hermione..."

Harry and I burst out laughing.

"Well you'd deserve it!" Hermione said. Harry and I immediately became quiet.

"You don't even try and listen to him, do you?" Hermione asked, eyeing Harry. I snorted, trying to supress a giggle.

"We do try...we just haven't got your brains or your memory or your concentration! You're just cleverer than we are, is it nice to rub it in?" Ron asked. I snorted again and my hand flew to cover my mouth and nose. Harry smirked at me and Hermione gave Ron the stink eye.

"Oh don't give me that rubbish," she said. Then I saw her smile a bit. She really was clever and she knew it.

"I could lend you my notes," I said. Hermione rolled her eyes but then smiled.

"You two just get lucky don't you?" Celeste asked the boys with a smirk. Ron nodded.

"The ladies love us," he said. Harry and I burst out laughing again.

Celeste and Hermione began to talk about what Professor Snape the Potions teacher might make our first lesson be.

"She is really more of a Ravenclaw," I said.

"She is. I don't know how she isn't in there," Harry said. I saw Cho walk around the corner towards us. She waved at me then went up to Harry.

"Hi Harry!" she said. I noticed she wanted to talk to him alone.

"Hi..." Harry said shyly. Ah. So they liked each other.

"You got that stuff off then?" Cho asked. Huh? What stuff? Maybe Harry had something stuck on his clothes or face last time they talked.

"Yeah...so did you er have a good summer?" Harry asked, turning a bit red. Then he looked like he regretted saying it. I noticed Cho stiffened a bit.

"Oh er it was alright you know..." she began.

"Is that a Tornadoes badge?" Ron blurted out. Celeste and Hermione stopped and stared at him in horror.

"You don't support them, do you?" Ron asked. I stared quickly between Cho, Harry, and Ron. Cho looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah I do," she said boldly.

"Have you always supported them, or just since they started winning the league?" Ron asked. Harry looked at me like "is this guy serious?"

"I've supported them since I was six. Anyways, see you Harry," Cho said flatly, waving at me again. I slapped Ron on the back of the head when she turned around. Hermione and Celeste came closer.

"You're so tactless!" Hermione hissed at him.

"What? I only asked her if-"

"Couldn't you see she wanted to talk to Harry alone?" Hermione said, glaring daggers at him.

"So? She could've done, I wasn't stopping!"

"What on EARTH were you attacking her about her Quidditch team for?"

"Attacking? I wasn't attacking-"

"Who even CARES if she supports the tornadoes?"

"Oh come on! Half the people you see wearing those badges only bought them last season!"

"But does it even matter?"

"It means they're not real fans! They're just jumping on the bandwagon-"

The bell rang. I turned to Harry.

"Are they always like that?" I asked. He nodded. Celeste sighed loudly.

"Those two argue like a married couple," she noticed. Hermione and Ron didn't stop bickering til we reached the Potions classroom.

Celeste, Harry, and I went to sit at a table near the back where Hermione and Ron joined us, still bickering. Draco and Blaise sat at a table as far away as possible, it seemed. I waved at them. Blaise waved back and smiled but Draco only smiled a bit. I frowned.

"Settle down," Professor Snape's ominous voice said. He seemed almost as boring as Binns had been.

"Before we start today's lesson, I think it is appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your OWL or suffer my displeasure," Snape began. Yikes. He stared at me curiously then continued.

"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me. I take only the very best into my NEWT potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying goodbye," Snape said. Did he just stare at Harry?

"But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell. So whether you are intending to attempt NEWT or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high pass level I have come to expect from my OWL students," he said. This class seemed so hardcore compared to the Potions class at Beauxbatons. It was still complex but not this serious. Monsieur Smith was very kind.

"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at OWL time, the Draught of Peace. It is a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: If you are too heavy handed with the ingredients, you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep. You will need to pay close attention to what you are doing," Snape said. Piece of cake, I studied that.

Snape pointed out the ingredients table and cupboard and the instructions on the board and made us start, saying we had two hours.

Potions and Alchemy were my utmost best subjects, this would be quite easy.

Within an hour and a half I had completely finished the potion. I poured it into a vial and took it up to Professor Snape's desk. He stared at me.

"You mean to tell me that you finished already," he said slowly.

"Yes, sir," I said. He looked at the potion and opened the bottle, waving some of the fumes into his nostrils. He nodded then dipped a powder into it. It reacted for a few seconds then retained its nature. Snape nodded again, stiffening a little.

"This is by far the most well made Draught of Peace I have ever seen a student make," Snape said quietly, although several heads turned.

"Congratulations, Miss Romano. You did well," Professor Snape said, capping the vial and putting it on his desk. I smiled and walked back to my seat.

"The rest of you should be seeing a light silvery vapor rising from your cauldrons," Snape said. Hermione's was doing just that, but Harry's and several other people's were not. Snape came over to Harry, specifically.

"Potter, what is this supposed to be?" He asked.

"The Draught of Peace," Harry replied.

"Tell me Potter, can you read?" Snape asked in a scary tone. I heard Draco burst out laughing. I winced a bit.

"Yes I can," Harry said through gritted teeth.

"Read the third line for me, Potter," Snape instructed. Harry read it aloud, then he turned pale.

"I forgot the hellebore," Harry said quietly. Snape waved his wand over the cauldron and the contends disappeared. My mouth dropped open.

"This was worthless, then. Perhaps you could learn from Miss Romano," Snape said. I turned red and stared at the floor.

"Everyone else, twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its use of potion making, due Wednesday," Snape said. I looked at Harry and frowned.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. Harry shrugged.

"Not your fault, he hates me. He and my dad had beef," Harry said. I sighed.

"Miss Romano, come here," Snape called. I trudged over to his desk.

"Yes, Professor?" I asked.

"I will write you a letter out of Alchemy today, I need you to brew me a potion that I typically teach at the end of the year," Snape said.

"Why?" I asked.

"So you can skip a level of Potions. You are one of the few students that has excelled in both Potions and Alchemy. Even Mr Malfoy struggles a bit in both, though he does have an aptitude for success in those classes," Snape said. I stared at my feet.

"I already know how to brew seventh year Potions, Professor. I don't want to skip a level," I mumbled.

"You can't think of being with your friends all the time, Miss Romano," Snape said.

"With all due respect, Professor, I could easily pass the NEWT level Potions test. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as a cocky know it all, but I could. But what fun would that be?" I asked. Snape stared at me curiously again.

"Perhaps you should stay then. It would be a waste for you to finish Potions early and then not do anything for a year or two," Snape said. I nodded.

"Very well, then go to Alchemy," Snape said. I thanked him and began to walk away.

"And Miss Romano," Snape added. I turned around.

"I noticed you are friends with both Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy. They don't like each other, so I hope you don't decide to abandon a friend because of other friends. As much as I despise Potter, I know what it's like to lose a friend," Snape said. I nodded again.

"I'm going to be friends with both of them, Professor. I'm not letting them influence who I can and cannot get along with," I said. Snape smiled a bit.

"You will do great things here, Miss Romano. I'm sure of it," Snape said.

(Just know her last name is Romano. If I accidentally type Romanov please forgive me, it's something I write more often.)


	5. Chapter 5

Alchemy was really interesting. Since there were only five of us, we just sat at a round table. I sat between Draco and Michael. Aaron was next to Michael, then Meredith next to Aaron.

"Meredith and Aaron are definitely going to end up liking each other," Michael whispered to me. I laughed and shrugged.

"What did Professor Snape want?" Draco asked me.

"He wanted me to move up to a higher Potions class but I told him it would just mean that sixth and seventh year I wouldn't have a Potions class," I said.

"Wait, how? Wouldn't you only not have a Potions class seventh year?" Draco asked.

"Not necessarily. I know enough to pass the NEWT so I could be done this year even if I wanted to. But I'd rather stay with my grade," I said.

"You're too smart. You should already be at Berlin's School of Advanced Magic Practitioners," Draco said.

"Oh, Bullshit And Magic Prostitution," I said. Draco snorted.

"That's what we called it in Beauxbatons. Most kids drop out and literally become prostitutes," I said.

"Yeah that's true, that school is really hard but really elite. They help you become whatever you want to by 20, whereas here most careers take about five more years," I said.

"Point is, you should go there," Draco said. I shrugged.

We had a fun lesson, although it had a lot of complex parts to it. Aaron and I didn't have too much trouble with it but Draco and Michael struggled more. Meredith dropped out of the class when the period ended. Now there are only four of us.

"I bet I'm going to be the next dropout," Draco said miserably.

"What? No you're not," I said.

"Yes I am. It's harder than last year. Last year I barely passed the class with an A. Michael passed with an A too, Aaron with an E. The two seventh years in our class last year both got D's. Nobody has ever gotten an O on the tests, and with OWLs this year, I doubt I'll pass onto AP Alchemy," Draco said.

"That's the highest level! Oh I hope to get there," I said.

"Professor Gibbins told us last year that you can only get into AP Alchemy if you get an O in the class and since no one has done it, nobody has ever taken the AP Alchemy class," Draco said.

"Would it be crazy if I aimed for that?" I asked. Draco laughed.

"Good luck to you, then," he said. We walked to lunch together.

"Hey, do you want to eat in the courtyard by any chance?" Draco asked.

"Sure, are your friends going to be there too?" I asked.

"No, just you and me. They're not really that nice," Draco said. I raised an eyebrow. He sighed.

"Pansy's annoying and a prick. Crabbe and Goyle are oafs that just do whatever I tell them. Blaise hangs out with his girlfriend during lunch so I doubt he'd come. He's the nicest though," Draco said. I nodded.

We had a nice lunch of spaghetti that ended up going to some little carnivorous creatures lurking around because I dropped it when I tried to put it away.

"So what's your family like?" Draco asked.

"Well I live with my mum, Emilia Bisset. She's French and went to Beauxbatons. She met my dad there, his name was Rogelio Romano and he was Italian. They became involved in foreign relations. My dad was killed in 1981 on Halloween, we assume by You Know Who because he was in Godric's Hollow but anything could've happened," I said. Draco didn't say anything.

"I don't have siblings but we have a dog named Millie, she's a husky and she's only two. She's quite friendly and really adorable," I said. Draco smiled after that.

"Well my father works for the Ministry, his name is Lucius Malfoy. He inherited a lot from his father, Abraxas Malfoy. He and my mother Narcissa Black had me. I'm their only kid," Draco said.

"Wow, you're descended from the House of Black? That's awesome! My father comes from the House of Bianchi- they're really powerful wizards who helped end World War 2, and my mother comes from the House of Laurent, supposedly descended from wizards in Rome," I said. Draco's eyes widened.

"Wow that's like the purest blood ever," he said. I shifted uncomfortably and he frowned.

"I'm sorry, I'm conditioned to care a lot about blood status," he said softly.

"No harm done," I said, smiling. He smiled back. The bell rang off into the distance.

"Time to meet Professor Umbridge," I said with a sigh.

"Hey, just don't run your mouth off in front of her. My father says she's got a psycho way of dealing with things that go against her beliefs," Draco warned. I nodded and we walked together to the class.

Celeste was already sitting with Seo Jin when Draco and I walked in. Seo Jin winked at me and Celeste made a kissy face. I scowled and sat with Draco near the middle.

Professor Umbridge was sitting at her desk, staring at everyone, waiting for the class to begin. She was wearing a full on pink outfit. Honestly, she looked a bit like a pig and a toad had a weird baby.

Once everyone sat down, she stood up and came forward.

"Well, good afternoon!" She said in a cheery voice.

I half heartedly responded. I only head Hermione and possibly Seo Jin respond. Draco was quiet, as were Harry and Ron who sat a few seats away.

"Tut tut, THAT won't do, will it?" Professor Umbridge said.

"Oh Merlin she's one of THOSE teachers," I hissed. Draco stifled a laugh.

"I should like you to please reply, Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge. One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!" She said in a more peppy manner.

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," we recited.

"Well now, that wasn't too difficult was it?" She said sweetly. I fake gagged and Draco kicked me under the seat. I saw him covering his mouth tightly to stop himself from laughing. The corner of his eyes was wrinkled. He was smiling.

"Wands away and quills out please," she instructed. Hermione, who was in front of us, turned to me and made a face.

"Aren't the wands a must?" I asked her quietly.

"They should be!" She said, staring at Draco with an unpleasant expression and turning around.

On the chalkboard was written "Defense Against the Dark Arts: A Return to Basic Principles."

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" Professor Umbridge began. I wouldn't know.

"A constant changing of teachers, many of whom don't seem to have followed the Ministry approved curriculum. It seems you're all far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year," she continued. That can't have been true.

"You will be pleased to know that these problems are now rectified. We'll be following a carefully structured, theory centered, Ministry approved course of defensive magic. Copy the following, please," she said as she changed the board to read what the Course Aims were. I hesitated then copied them down.

"Has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?" She asked. We muttered a yes. She made us say Yes, Professor Umbride. I despised this woman already.

We were instructed to read chapter one. I did read it, then looked up at Umbridge, waiting for everyone else to finish. Draco finished too and we started playing tic tac toe on the edge of the paper. Then I noticed Hermione's hand had been up an awful long time when Umbridge finally decided to address her.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" Umbridge asked.

"I've got a query about your course aims," Hermione said. Umbridge eyed her suspiciously.

"And your name is?" Umbridge asked.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione said. Umbridge looked at her again, narrowing her eyes. I turned and saw Harry and Ron looking intently at Umbridge. Celeste was sleeping again and Seo Jin was writing something, however she kept looking up and waiting for Umbridge's response.

"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are pretty clear if you read them carefully," she said.

"Well I don't. There's nothing written about using defensive spells," Hermione said. She was right.

"USING Defensive spells? I doubt that'd be necessary in my classroom, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

"We're not going to do magic?" Ron blurted out. Umbridge gave him a nasty stare.

"When you wish to speak you raise your hand, Mr..."

"Weasley," Ron responded.

Harry and Hermione both shot their hands up this time.

"Yes Miss Granger, you wanted to ask something else?" Umbridge said, more irritated this time.

"Yes. Surely the whole point of this class is learning defensive spells," Hermione said.

"Are you a Ministry trained expert, Miss Granger?" Umbridge asked.

"Well no-"

"Then I'm afraid you're not qualified decide what the whole point of any class is. You will be learning about spells in a secure, risk free way-"

"What use is that?" Harry asked.

"Hand, Mr Potter!" Umbridge snapped.

"He was raising his hand," I mumbled. Draco kicked me under the table again.

Another Gryffindor boy raised his hand.

"Your name?" Umbridge inquired.

"Dean Thomas," the boy said.

"Well?" Umbridge asked, more irritated.

"It's like Harry said, isn't it? If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk free-"

"Do you expect to be attacked during my class?" Umbridge repeatedly fiercely.

That shut Dean down.

" I don't wish to criticize the way things have been run at this school, but you've been exposed to very irresponsible wizards and half breeds!" Umbridge said.

"Hey! If you mean Professor Lupin, he's the best we ever had!" Dean said angrily.

"Hand, Mr Thomas!" Umbridge shrieked.

More people were getting riled up.

"You've been frightened into believing you'll likely meet the Dark Arts through attacks every other day-" Umbridge began.

"No we haven't," Hermione said boldly.

"Hand, Miss Granger!" Umbridge cried angrily. "It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, but actually performed them on you as well."

"He turned out to be a maniac, didn't he? We still learned loads-" Dean continued.

"Your hand is not up, Mr Thomas!" Umbridge snarled.

"And what good is theory going to be in the real world?" Harry snapped.

Everything went dead quiet.

"This is school, Mr Potter, not the real world," Umbridge said slowly.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?" Harry asked.

"He's right," I told Draco. He just sighed.

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr Potter," Umbridge said, clearly about to lose it.

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked.

"Who do you think wants to attack children like yourselves?" Umbridge asked softly.

"Hmm let's think, oh I don't know, maybe LORD VOLDEMORT?" Harry said.

You could've heard a cockroach sneeze.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr Potter," Umbridge said, stiffening up. Everyone was staring at them.

"Let me make a few things quite plain," Umbridge said.

"You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead-" she began.

"He wasn't dead! But yeah, he's returned," Harry said.

"You already lost yourself House points Mr Potter, don't make it worse for yourself!" Umbridge snapped. Harry stared at her filled with hatred.

"As I was saying," she continued, "you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

"It's NOT a lie! I saw him! I fought him!" Harry said.

"Detention, Mr Potter!" Umbridge snarled. "Tomorrow evening, five o clock, my office. I repeat, this is a lie!"

Harry stood up angrily.

"So according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?" Harry snarled.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident!" Umbridge huffed.

"It was murder," Harry said, starting to shake ragefully.

We all stared, waiting for Harry to say something else. And he did.

"Voldemort killed him and you know it," Harry said.

Umbridge sent him to McGonagall after that, simply done with what was going on. I was seething with rage too, eager to tell her off.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. I stood up, pushing my chair back so that it screeched against the floor.

"Excuse me?" Umbridge snapped.

"I'm Juliana Romano. Perhaps you know my mother, she works closely with the Minister of Magic," I said. Umbridge stared at me coldly.

"Ty jsi fenka. Ty suka. Tu es une chienne. Du bist eine Schlampe. Sei una stronza. Eres una maldita perra. Du är en tik," I snapped.

Umbridge stared at me with confusion.

"What did you just say to me?" She asked.

"I told you that you're a bitch in Czech, Russian, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish, Professor Umbridge. And that is not a lie," I said boldly.

She stared at me in horror. Someone in the back of the room clapped. More people joined in. I breathed deeply in, feeling rageful, as I stared her down.

"Then you may join your friend in detention, Miss Romano. And I assure you, your knowledge language won't get you out of it," Umbridge said.

"Perfect. You know in France, all the teachers are kind and actually pretty. They also teach us how to defend ourselves. My my my, if the French Minister simply knew what you were doing, you'd be fired on the spot," I said. Umbridge breathed heavily.

I flashed her a malicious smirk and dragged my chair forcefully on the ground so it would screech again. I stared at her again and sat down, hard.

When the class was over, I had many people applauding me, congratulating me. Harry and I were now the heroes of the class for telling her off.

Draco pulled me aside afterward.

"Why did you do that? That was a stupid decision, she could do anything to you in detention!" Draco hissed.

"It was my choice to stand up for what I believe in, Draco. And I believe Harry," I said. He sighed and just walked away.

I sat at the Gryffindor table during lunch and Hermione, Dean, and Ron told Harry and the twins what I'd done.

"That's amazing! You must've gotten expelled from Beauxbatons, huh?" Fred asked.

"Obviously," I said with a smirk. The Gryffindors accepted me as one of their clan despite being in Ravenclaw.

Celeste and Seo Jin recounted my daringness to Karina and Char, who had ditched class that day. They applauded me and as we did homework that night, they told me about several pranks they had planned that I could help with.

Maybe I'd done something that would hurt me badly. But I didn't care. What would I be without my rebellious nature?


	6. Chapter 6

"Tell me about yourself," I told Harry after I'd finished explaining my past again. Harry had been sad to know my dad died the same night as his parents, but I think it made us closer as friends.

"Well my life sucks, I'm stuck living with my aunt and uncle- they're Muggles and they hate magic. Over the summer I got attacked by dementors and used a Patronus to get rid of them and ended up temporarily expelled, then had a trial, then ended up unexpelled, learned about the Order of the Phoenix, and I still haven't gathered up the guts to talk to Cho Chang and well now we're here," Harry said.

"Oh, my mum and dad were in the French Order of the Phoenix. They were the ones that defeated a bunch of Death Eaters in Calais when they tried to kill our Minister," I said.

"Wow, our parents are-and were fighters," Harry said.

"Also, I can help you out with your Cho Chang dilemma, she's my friend," I said. Harry's eyes lit up hopefully.

"Will you really?" He asked. I nodded and he smiled.

"Is there anyone else you could live with?" I asked.

"My godfather, Sirius. But he's still a criminal to the Ministry," Harry said.

"My mum could fix that. She's got connections EVERYWHERE," I said. Harry's eyes lit up again.

"Can she really? That would be amazing because then I could live with him," Harry said. I smiled.

"I'll send her a letter when Umbridge's detention is over," I said. Harry nodded then groaned.

"We should probably eat before that," Harry said. I nodded and we started heading to the Great Hall.

"Oy, Potter!" Angelina Johnson said fiercely as we entered the Great Hall.

"What now?" Harry mumbled.

"I'll tell you what now! How come you've landed yourself in detention at five o clock on Friday?" She asked.

"What? Oh yeah...Keeper tryouts," Harry said. I made a face and Angelina face palmed herself.

"Now he remembers," she told me. I sighed loudly.

"Didn't I tell you I wanted to do the tryout with the whole team? To find someone who fitted with everyone? Didn't I tell you I booked the Quidditch pitch specially? And now you've decided you're not going to be there!" Angelina snarled.

"I didn't decide not to be there, I got detention from that Umbridge woman just because I told her the truth about You Know Who-"

"Well you can just go straight to her and ask her to let you off on Friday! And I don't care how you do it, tell her You Know Who's a figment of your imagination if you'd like, just make sure you're there!" Angelina snapped as she stormed away. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked with Harry to the Gryffindor table.

"You know what?" He began to tell Ron, Hermione, and I, "I think we'd better check with Puddlemede United whether Oliver Wood's been killed during a training session because she seems to be channeling his spirit."

I snorted. Ron laughed loudly and Hermione just sighed.

"The odds of her letting me off are less than zero! Better try though, hadn't I? I'll offer to do two more detentions or something, I don't know," Harry said glumly.

"It better not take forever because that will ruin everything. You realize we've got three essays?" I asked.

"And we need to practice Vanishing spells for McGonagall, work out a countercharm for Flitwick, finish the bowtruckle drawing, and start that stupid dream diary for Trelawney?" Ron groaned. Harry sighed and shoved a potato into his mouth.

"You think you've got it bad, I have to create three methods of turning water into fire and I have to do three years worth of Arithmancy and Ancient Runes homework? That's insane!" I said.

"Turn water into fire? What kind of bloody classes are you taking?" Harry asked, through a mouthful of potato.

"Alchemy! Meredith Orr dropped out after the first day, Michael Corner dropped out yesterday, now there's only three of us in the class! Draco keeps saying he's going to drop out but I won't let him, and Aaron Boot is starting to lose hope because he got a D on the test we had two days ago!" I said.

"What can you even test there?" Ron asked.

"Methodology and Experimentation I suppose. And theory behind Alchemy. The test was dumb! Beauxbatons Alchemy is so much easier and this is like a whole new level of confusing!" I said.

"What did you get on the test?" Hermione asked.

"Well I got an E but-"

"You got an E? Aaron Boot got a D and you got an E,and you're complaining? Jules, you're insane!" Hermione said. I turned red and sighed.

"We have to go Jules," Harry said. I sighed and got up, following him to Umbridge's office. We knocked on the door, waiting.

"Come in, she said softly.

The office was scary. My first thought was "One day I'm going to break every cat plate in her office. And I'll turn everything pink to black." Yes it was that bad.

"Good evening, Mr Potter, Miss Romano," she said, eyeing us closely.

"Good evening, Professor," I said through gritted teeth.

"Well sit down," she urged. Harry and I sat in two desks that were side by side.

" Er Professor- I wanted to ask you a favor," Harry began.

"Oh yes?" She asked devilishly.

"Well I'm on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and I was supposed to be at the tryouts for Keeper on Friday at five and I was wondering whether I could skip detention that night and do it another night instead-"

"Oh no. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention seeking stories, Mr Potter. And they simply can't be adjusted to the guilty one's convenience. You will come every day this week with Miss Romano, even on Friday. I rather like that you're missing something you enjoy, it will reinforce the lesson I'm trying to team you," she said maliciously.

"Give me more detentions. I don't care. We're both mentally unstable. Voldemort isn't back. We've just been hallucinating in our dreams. I have a mental disorder," I spat a bit too harshly.

"If you insist, Miss Romano," Umbridge said with an evil glint in her eyes.

"Please give Harry Friday off," I said. Harry stared at me anxiously.

"Jules you don't have to-"

"Well Mr Potter it seems you will end your detentions on Thursday rather than Friday. Miss Romano will end her detentions next Friday," Umbridge said. Harry stared at me in horror and I shrugged.

"Now you will both be doing some lines for me. With MY special quills," Umbridge said. That couldn't be good. She handed each of us a quill.

"Mr Potter, you will write 'I must not tell lies' and Miss Romano, you will write 'I will keep my mouth shut'" Umbridge said.

I was burning up with anger but decided to hold back my retort. I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood.

"You haven't given us any ink," Harry noticed.

"You won't need it," Umbridge said sweetly.

"How many times, Professor?" I asked angrily.

"As long as it takes to sink in. You may talk if you'd like, I don't care. I'll be in my office, you two can stay out here," she said, walking away. I stared at Harry and winced.

I pressed the quill onto the paper and wrote "I will keep my mouth shut."

Instantly I winced and felt a sharp pain on my hand.

A faded outline of the words "I will keep my mouth shut" appeared on the back of my hand. Harry stared in horror as I breathed deeply in to stop myself from flipping the desk.

The cycle of pain didn't stop for either of us. We kept writing, and writing some more, our hands burning more.

"I feel really guilty for letting you take an extra week because of me," Harry said as he winced when he finished another line.

"Angelina would have murdered you, I haven't seen anyone that angry over Quidditch since our old Quidditch captain Ariana punched my friend Clarisse for catching the Snitch in an hour instead of half an hour," I said.

"Do you play?" Harry asked. Then he bit his lip again.

"No, I'm a spectator. Had a bad fall when I was a kid, I'm scared to go on a broom again," I said. Harry winced.

"What happened?" He asked.

"My mum was teaching me to fly and I learned, got excited. It was really windy and I totally lost control and I slammed into a tree and broke my arm," I said. Harry winced again, I'm not sure if it was because of what I said or because of the pain. Maybe both.

"Tell me about Beauxbatons," he said.

"Well I had only three real friends. There was Clarisse LaVerne, she was in my year and she was a Seeker of course. She was my pranking buddy. Then there was Antonia Banales, she was really quiet but really smart. Finally there was Monica Chanel, who was probably the nicest but also the most temperamental girl I've ever met. They were great, we had our little squad. We also had a pact to not date anyone until seventh year. Antonia broke it in 4th year, and I suspect Monica broke it this year because when I left she was talking to a boy," I said. I gritted my teeth to stop myself from groaning loudly as the words kept getting sliced into my skin.

Hours later, Umbridge asked to see our hands. Our skin was raw from being mutilated and that bitch still said we needed to come back for it to sink in deeper. I hated this.

We exited her classroom and walked out.

"I hate her!" I snarled, holding my hand.

"I don't know how we're going to hide this from our friends," Harry said.

"I wonder if Episkey will work on this," I said. I took my wand out and flicked it over my hand. It stung but the pain went away. Unfortunately the scar stayed but it still looked fresh enough so she wouldn't think we healed ourselves. I repeated the process on Harry and he immediately felt better too.

"Thanks Jules. For this, for sticking up for me in class and in front of her. You didn't have to do that," he said.

"Well I wanted to. It's what friends do," I said. Harry smiled.

I could've made a great Gryffindor.

Harry finished his detentions on Thursday and I brewed him a potion to make the scar entirely go away, except I had him come with me to tell Hermione and Ron what Umbridge was doing so they could try to warn people. Hermione was about ready to snitch on Umbridge but Harry and I knew it would just make her satisfied if she knew we felt we needed to tell another teacher.

I sat alone in the detention on Friday night, starting to feel weary from how much blood I was losing every night. I wrote and wrote, my anger making me keep going. I would not let her get to me, I would not let her continue to spread lies.

I had a scar that said "I will keep my mouth shut" but I didn't plan to do that. I'd be the loudest voice in the world, standing up for justice.

I couldn't do that now. I was sitting there, suffering, my paper covered in blood, and Umbridge was telling me about her experiences as a student just to annoy me. Apparently she was a Slytherin. Figures.

Ron made Keeper and I was so excited for him. There was a bit of an after-party in the Gryffindor Common Room so Harry invited me in. My hand's pain wasn't going away with Episkey anymore and Hermione was becoming frantic.

"Hey, Jules," Angelina said.

"Hi Angie, what's up?" I asked.

"Harry told me what you did, and I really wanted to thank you. It means a lot to me that the whole team was there. I may have over exaggerated a bit and now that I realize what that Umbridge woman is doing to you I feel really bad. But thank you, you're so strong," Angelina said. I smiled. She opened her arms and welcomed me in for a hug.

I got to meet Ginny Weasley that night, and also learned Ron had more older brothers. It made me jealous because I was an only child and always wanted a sibling.

My mother had sent me a letter stating she'd managed to get Sirius Black a fair trial so he could speak in front of the Ministry. She'd advocated for him to use Veritaserum for reliability and it was granted. Harry was so excited when I told him.

I ate a bit of the food they had here then decided to leave. When I was walking back to my common room I began to feel dizzy.

Gripping my now bleeding hand, I leaned against the wall forcefully and began breathing heavily.

When I was little, the Healers told my mum I had hemophilia genes in me and that I had a slight form of it. It's not something that worried me until now. Losing all the blood in my hand made me feel sick to my stomach and nauseous.

I tried walking and merely stumbled forward, extending my arms out to grip whatever was in front of me for support. Since there was nothing but air, I fell to the floor.

I tried to stand up but he whole world spun. I sat up and started breathing heavily, clutching my hand again.

I don't know if I screamed or anything but someone did manage to find me and take me to the Hospital Wing because I woke up there, feeling loads better.

"Oh, you're awake dear...you lost a lot of blood. Luckily Mr Malfoy was doing his rounds and found you, otherwise you would've bled to death," the matron said. I stared blankly at her. Draco had brought me here?

"I see on your record you have slight hemophilia. I suppose this cut on your hand didn't help at all," she said solemnly. I nodded and winced as she touched my hand.

"I can make that scar go away," she said.

"No don't, it makes me feel strong. Just make the pain stop," I gasped as I felt my hand pulsating.

I was released later, scar and all. I had missed breakfast and would have to wait for lunch, so I just decided to go to the library and work on homework.

"Can I sit here?" A voice asked. I nodded and looked up at Draco, who was smiling again.

"Yes you can, Draco. Thank you for last night," I told him. He got a bit pink.

"It was nothing. I wasn't going to let you die," he said.

"Thank Merlin for that," I said with a laugh.

"Jules can I ask you a favor," he said.

"Sure," I replied.

"I need help with Alchemy. I just don't get it," he said.

"Of course I'll help you! What are friends for?"

He brightened up and took out his assignment.

We spent the next hour reviewing and understanding Alchemy. Draco got an A on Monday's test, and I managed an O. Aaron got an A this time too.

"I knew you could do it!" I told Draco.

"Looks like I can," he said. Suddenly he frowned.

"Show me your hand," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"Your hand. What happened that caused you to bleed out? Were you cutting yourself?" He asked.

"Well technically yes but not voluntarily! Umbridge made me write lines in my own blood," I said, showing him the scar. He became angry.

"My father will hear about this," he said.

"No it's fine trust me, I'm not going to be the weak person that complains about her methods. I just have until Friday," I said.

"Friday! You could bleed out again by then!" Draco growled. I sighed and touched his shoulder.

"I'll be fine. She can make me bleed out, she can trace a phrase onto my skin, but she can't and never will silence me. That's a promise."


	7. Chapter 7

Harry told me he'd written a letter to Sirius and was going to deliver it in the morning so I immediately set up for Cho to be there too.

"Isn't it your mum's birthday tomorrow?" I asked, knowing bloody well she told me yesterday.

"Oh it is, I'd nearly forgotten!" She said.

"You should send her a letter nice and early tomorrow, like around 7am when she's just waking up. My mum loves when I do that," I said.

And she did it. She and Harry did end up in the Owlery at the same time and I think Cho suspected it was a set up because she eyed me suspiciously when she returned but they talked, my task was completed.

I sat at the Gryffindor table, waiting for Harry's return.

He popped in very cheery.

"Morning," he said happily as he sat down between Ron and I. Hermione stared at him.

"What are you so pleased about?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, Quidditch later," Harry said. Yeah right.

"Oh yeah," Ron said.

"Can I watch the practice?" I asked.

"Sure," Harry said.

"Oi Harry, can we go a bit earlier so I can get some practice before training?" Ron asked.

"Sure Ron," Harry said. I smiled, seeing a nice compromise.

"You two are loads behind on homework," Hermione reminded them.

"Oh they'll be fine. If I caught up with two weeks of detention, they'll be fine," I said. Hermione rolled her eyes. An owl screech told me that our morning deliveries were here.

My mum's owl, Roger (named after my dad) swooped in and dropped a copy of the Prophet and a little box in front of me.

"Thanks, Rog," I said, waving my wand so a rat appeared in his mouth. He flew away.

"That was disgusting," Hermione said.

"Oh he deserves a reward, coming all the way from Dijon to deliver the letter," I said. Hermione sighed and shivered. I could tell the dead rat was still stuck in her mind.

"Look! 'The Ministry of Magic cleared previously at large criminal Sirius Black of all charges after his trial with Veritaserum. Emilia Romano, head of foreign relations with the French and English Ministry advocated for his trial and along with the help of Jury Official Margaret Parks, set up a Veritaserum run hearing where he was found innocent and cleared of all charges'" Hermione read.

"Oh it worked!" I say joyfully, giving Harry a side hug.

"I can probably live with Sirius now!" Harry said excitedly.

I opened the little box and saw four cookies, one for each of us.

"My mum made us cookies," I said, distributing them.

"I owe her," Harry said, shoving the cookie into his mouth.

"It says here she's housing him. Maybe they'll be best friends!" I said. Harry nodded.

"Maybe we can all live together and be like siblings," he said jokingly. I laughed and nearly choked to death on the cookie.

Suddenly an article about a Sturgis Podmore and a door struck my interests.

"Look guys," I said, pointing it out to them.

"He's in the Or-"

"Shhh!" Hermione hissed at Ron, who had begun to reveal the Order of Phoenix to the whole table.

"Six months in Azkaban for trying to get through a door? It must be important," I said.

"Maybe they set him up!" Harry said.

Harry had briefly filled me in on what the Order had been doing. His claim made sense but it there wasn't enough evidence for me to fully agree.

We left a very frustrated Hermione doing homework the rest of the day. While Harry and Ron began practicing, I finished my Alchemy and Runes assignments.

When the rest of the Gryffindor team showed up, so did the Slytherins. Draco, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, a girl I didn't recognize, and Pansy all walked up to sit in the bleachers. I moved between Blaise and Draco.

"Hi guys," I said cheerfully. Blaise smiled but Draco kind of ignored me. I think maybe, he didn't want to show he had a soft spot with being nice to me.

"What's Weasley mounted on? Who enchanted the log and called it a broom?" Draco said. I stared at him and just scoffed. Pansy and the other goons except Blaise roared with laughter. They sounded like pigs.

I could tell the Gryffindors were trying to ignore them but it was proving difficult.

"Hey Johnson, what's with that hairstyle anyways?" Pansy asked with a shriek. "Why would anyone want to look like they have worms coming out of their head?"

Angeline pushed her braids back. The goons roared with laughter and I felt angry.

"Hey Parkinson," I snarled, "what's with that face? Why would anyone want to look like Merlin's saggy left testicle?"

Blaise and Draco both snorted then burst out laughing. Pansy stared at me in horror and I heard the Gryffindors all start to laugh loudly. Blaise's girlfriend couldn't help but laugh too.

The Gryffindors kept practicing but the Slytherins just started acting like bigger pricks. Blaise and his girlfriend left after awhile, and I moved away from Draco. He had begun having his goons chant about how Gryffindors were losers. They were cheering whenever Ron missed a save. I was close to punching them. I gave Draco a cold stare and he stopped for a minute. I shook my head and he looked like he was ashamed but then continued.

Ron accidentally threw a Quaffle too hard and made Katie Bell's nose bleed, which only got worse and worse to the point where the twins had to take her to the Hospital Wing. The practice ended there. Pansy and the goons left, but Draco stayed behind. I went right up to him and stomped on his foot.

"What the hell was that for?" He snapped.

"For being a prick! How come when you're just with me you're a nice, book loving guy who cares about people? How come when you're with them you turn into a mean, hateful, supremacist?" I asked angrily. Draco's eyes went from serious to soft.

"I swear, Draco Malfoy, I'm not going to tolerate you doing that to my friends. And don't think for a minute it's cause they're Gryffindors because if someone did that to you, I'd defend you just as much!" I said, turning around and leaving.

"Jules!" Draco called.

"I'm not talking to you!" I called back as I followed Harry and Ron inside.

Harry told me to just go ahead and come into the Gryffindor Common Room and I did, only to have Ron start saying how lousy of a practice it was and how he sucked.

"You're just starting out Ron plus those Slytherins were making you nervous," I said.

"Yeah, you just need to gain more confidence," Hermione added.

"Who said I was what made it lousy?" Ron said irritably to Hermione and I.

"Oh c'mon!" I groaned as Ron left to his dorm.

I left after that and came across Draco in the hallway. I ignored him even though he called my name three times. Not today, Malfoy.

The next day, Harry and Ron still hadn't caught up with homework so once again I was in the Gryffindor Common Room monitoring them. Hermione and I were doing our own homework but basically had the boys under homework arrest where we watched to make sure they actually did work. Besides Celeste and Char, they were the record holders for most Procrastination. Surprisingly, Karina, Seo Jin, and I finished our homework relatively quickly so we never had that problem.

Hermione finally gave in and helped them with their Astronomy essays while I lent them my Transfiguration Notes to study for the test. The boys don't deserve us, honestly.

When the boys finished studying my notes, Hermione handed them the essays.

"Write this down and copy this conclusion," she instructed Ron.

"Hermione, you are honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met. If I'm ever rude to you again-"

"Then I'll know you're back to normal," Hermione said with a sigh, turning to Harry to instruct him on how to better his essay.

I also helped Harry and Ron finish their Charms homework which they for some reason left til the end when it was the longest assignment. It was midnight at this point.

"I just saw Sirius' head in the fire," Harry blurted out.

"What?" Hermione said.

Harry pointed at the fire. Sirius Black's face suddenly popped up.

"Oh, hello there," I said.

"Ah, finally I get to meet the famous Juliana Romano. Your mum's told me a lot about you. Thank you for having her help me out," Sirius said.

"No problem," I said with a smile.

"Sirius! I'm glad it all worked out," Harry said.

"I'm glad too. Right now Grimmauld Place is more of a hideout so I'm living with Jules' mum- who's very beautiful by the way-"

"Oh no you and my mum are going to end up fancying each other if you live together!" I shrieked. Sirius chuckled. Harry stared at me and winked. He'd described Sirius as a ladies man to me. That's who my dad was, according to my mum. She'd fall for him in an instant.

"Anyways I got your letter Harry," Sirius said.

"You didn't tell us you wrote to Sirius!" Hermione said indignantly.

"He told me," I said with a smirk. Harry smirked to, clearly remembering his interaction with Cho.

"The scar, Harry. I know it can't be fun when it hurts but we don't think it's anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn't it?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion," Harry said. This was so interesting.

"I suppose maybe he was really angry that night I had detention," Harry said.

"Well since he's back it's bound to hurt more often," Sirius noticed. I sighed. Poor Harry, if only my potions could make his scar go away. I subconsciously swept my fingertips over my scar. It wouldn't go away either.

"You don't think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?" Harry asked.

"First of all that sounded wrong," I said. Sirius laughed then returned to being, well, serious.

"I doubt it. I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater," Sirius said.

"She's still a bitch," I said.

"You watch your mouth, your mother is in the kitchen," Sirius said. I face palmed myself. I was going to have to get used to that.

"She's foul enough to be a Death Eater," Ron said with venom in his voice.

"Yes but the world isn't quite split into good people and Death Eaters," Sirius said.

"Yeah there's subsections to that," I said.

"Exactly. She's still a nasty piece of work though, you should hear Remus talk about her," Sirius said.

If I'm not mistaken, Remus was the same teacher they'd had third year. The best one, the werewolf.

"Does he know her?" Hermione asked.

"No, but she drafted a bit of an anti werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it impossible for him to get a job," Sirius said.

"My mum can come in handy with that too," I said. Sirius nodded.

"She can yes, but only in France," Sirius reminded me. I sighed.

"Has Umbridge got some sort of grudge against werewolves?" Hermione asked.

"She's just scared of them, I guess. Apparently she loathes part humans," Sirius said.

"She's not even full human she's some sort of pig toad human hybrid," I snapped. Sirius laughed.

"So what are her lessons like?" Sirius asked.

"They're horrible! All we do is write and read the stupid textbook!" Hermione said.

"She's not letting us use magic at all," Ron added.

"Ah, well that figures. Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat," Sirius said.

"Trained in combat? What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?" Harry asked.

"That's exactly it. He thinks Dumbledore is trying to take on the Ministry of Magic," Sirius said.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with," Ron said. I shot him a nasty glare.

"Fudge really thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting all paranoid, he'll probably arrest Dumbledore for any random thing," Sirius said.

"The French Ministry had no problems like this. England is a wild place," I said with a loud sigh.

"What about Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"He's fine, he's with Madame Maxime. Don't go asking too many questions about him," Sirius said.

"So that's where she went," I thought aloud.

"Yeah she and Hagrid are kind of a thing," Ron said. I laughed softly.

"When's your next Hogsmeade visit? I can pop by," Sirius said.

"Oh would you? I'd love to meet you," I said. Sirius smiled.

"I've got to go now, take care you guys," Sirius said as he popped out of the fireplace.

"Wow, Sirius and your mum are spending a lot of quality time together," Ron said. I scowled.

"My mum will fancy him of course but I doubt they're going to amount to anything, she wouldn't do that to my dad," I said.

"Well I think it'd be cute if Sirius and her ended up together," Hermione said in a girly way. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

I left a bit after that and ran into Draco. I don't know if he knew that I was in the Gryffindor Common Room this whole time but since he tried to talk to me, I suspect he might have. I ignored him and kept walking.

I arrived back at my Common Room around one am and found Seo Jin sleeping in my bed.

"Hey," I said as I climbed into bed.

"Your bed is more comfortable than mine," she mumbled as she turned over and curled into a little ball.

Immediately after she sat up.

"Ok I had a nightmare and everyone was asleep and you weren't here so I waited up for you," she said.

"Aw Seo Jin it's ok, you're safe here. You can sleep in my bed if you want," I said. She smiled and went back into her position.

I just smiled and got comfortable, falling asleep instantly, not even bothering to think about Draco.


	8. Chapter 8

"Fudge basically just forced Umbridge onto us with this Educational Decree!" Hermione snapped.

"How did he give her the power to inspect other teachers? That's not fair!" I said.

"We didn't even want her," Ron complained.

Then he suddenly smiled.

"What?" I asked.

"I can't wait to see McGonagall be inspected," Ron said. I smiled mischievously.

"Umbridge won't even know what hit her," I said.

"If she's inspecting Binns, we won't want to be late," Hermione said.

Luckily she wasn't in there, so I just had my quill take notes again and played hangman and tic-tac-toe with the boys. I challenged them to draw each other. Turns out Ron's a bit of an artist. Can't say the same about Harry though.

The whole time Draco kept staring at me. After a while, it began to pester me so I shook my head at him. He scribbled onto his parchment and held it up. I squinted and read "we need to talk."

I grabbed my quill and scribbled "What is there to talk about?"

He sighed and scribbled again. "I need to apologize and justify my actions."

I shrugged and wrote "Alchemy." He nodded and looked away. Ron had noticed the interaction.

"You two not speaking is the best though, why do you want to be friends with him?" He asked.

"Same reason I want to be friends with you. You're both kind to me and fun to be around," I said.

"Well that makes me feel on the same level as Malfoy which is really low," Ron said. I rolled my eyes but smiled.

Umbridge wasn't in Potions either. We had our essays handed back to us and I was glad to see a nice round O at the top of my paper. Celeste and Seo Jin had trudged over to complain they got A's but it was at least a passing grade. Hermione also got an A but was satisfied.

"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work on the OWL," Snape began. Harry muttered something under his breath and showed me the "D" that resided on his paper. I furrowed my brows.

"I thought it was at least an A, if not a P," I said. He sighed an put his head on the table.

"The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed if this was your examination. Only one paper got an O. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall start handing out detentions to those who got D's," Snape said.

"Some people got D's?" Pansy Parkinson snickered.

"Probably you since you suck at everything," I sneered. She heard me and flipped me off.

We were instructed to brew a Strengthening Solution. I taught Harry and Ron a little trick to help get their timing better and I think it helped them both significantly. I turned my vial in and Snape smiled at me.

"Professor Gibbins has told me you're averaging an O in Alchemy, Miss Romano," Snape said.

"Right about, although I feel he was too generous on curving the last test," I said. Snape smiled a bit.

"You should still consider moving up a level at least in Potions. It could help you," Snape said. I shook my head again.

"Something tells me I should stay here," I said. Snape sighed.

"Suit yourself, Miss Romano," he said. I walked back to my table.

Hermione kept complaining about her grade and Ron was just irritated that she didn't just ask for their scores straight up.

"I got a P, happy?" Ron asked as bowls of soup appeared in front of us at lunch.

"Nothing to be ashamed of! Nothing's wrong with a good healthy P," Fred said, leaning over.

"But doesn't P stand for-" Hermione began.

"Poor yeah, still better than a D- for Dreadful," the twins' friend Lee Jordan said.

"So it goes O, for Outstanding, A for Acceptable-" Hermione started.

"No, it's E for Exceeds Expectations between those, 'Mione," I said. She nodded.

"I always thought Fred and I should've received an E on everything," George said.

"Yeah, we exceeded expectations just by showing up to class," Fred said.

I laughed but Hermione didn't.

"A's the last passing grade, right?" Hermione asked.

"Yep," I said.

"Then there's P for Poor, D for Dreadful," Ron said.

"And then T," George added. I laughed and nodded.

"T?" Hermione asked.

"For Troll," Fred said.

Harry and Ron both burst out laughing.

"Beauxbatons has a larger scale for grading," I said.

"Do you have MT? For Mega Troll?" Fred asked. I smirked and shook my head.

"The top grade is O, then E, then S for Satisfactory, then A, then U for Unsatisfactory, then P, then D, then T," I said.

"I bet more people pass their OWLs there," Fred said.

"Mostly, the school isn't very smart so they needed extra categories for less harsher grading," I said.

"That school's a T," Lee Jordan said. I laughed.

"Have you lot had an inspected lesson yet?" George asked.

"Nope," Hermione said.

"We did in Charm. Flitwick was treating her like a guest, she just asked Angelina a few questions and left," Fred said.

"I can't see old Flitwick getting marked down. He always gets everyone through their exams just fine," George said.

"Who've you lot got this afternoon?" Fred asked.

"Trelawney," Ron said miserably, Harry nodding to that.

"A T if I ever saw one," George said with a smirk.

"Umbridge too," I groaned.

"That's a Mega Troll," Fred said. I snorted and covered my mouth.

"Be good kids and keep your tempers today, Jules and Harry. Angelina will have a cow if you get detention and you'll have to make some other crazy excuse to not miss special events," Fred said.

"What did you even tell her last time?" Lee asked.

"I said we were mentally unstable," I replied with a smirk.

"That you are, Jules," Fred said with a laugh.

"Jules also took another week for me," Harry said. Fred's mouth dropped open.

"That's a big sacrifice, why didn't we know that? We'd have snuck you some food from the Kitchen," Fred said. I shrugged and went back to my soup.

In Alchemy, Umbridge showed up.

Professor Gibbins had us doing a lab that involved turning fire into nothing but purified air. The procedure was difficult and Draco burned the stand. Aaron sustained horrid burns in front of Umbridge, to which she simply scribbled onto her paper.

"Joseph Gibbins, is it?" She asked the professor. He nodded.

"How long have you been teaching Alchemy?" She asked.

"This is my sixth year," Professor Gibbins replied.

"Are your students generally in such dangerous situations?" She asked.

Yes, actually. We do many labs like this, it's the nature of Alchemy. The instructions are very clearly labeled. If they get hurt then they did something wrong," Professor Gibbins said, motioning towards Aaron's empty spot.

"Is this your only Alchemy class?" She asked.

"Yes, only those three have stayed this far. I have an AP Alchemy class but it has no students," Gibbins said.

"And why is that?" She asked, scribbling more down.

"No one ever passed this class with an O. This year, however, Miss Romano is averaging an O in this class, therefore she will most likely take the NEWT AP Alchemy class next year," Gibbins said. Umbridge looked at me distastefully and huffed, writing more down. Then she left.

When we finished the lab we had a few minutes to sit down and rest before going to our next class. Draco came up to me.

"I'm sorry for being such a prick. I'm an arse and I know it. I know I'm nicer around you because I can show my real nature but with other Slytherins, well they look up to me as a Gryffindor hater and if I did anything otherwise they'd judge me a lot and wouldn't respect me, plus my father would basically disown me. I simply can't be too kind in public because it ruins my image but please Jules, accept my apology and my reasons, I still want to be friends," Draco implored. I sighed and stared him in the eyes.

"I know you won't change and that doesn't make me too pleased. We can continue to talk and be friends but be wary, I won't be supporting you if you're being a prick to my Gryffindor friends," I said. Draco nodded and when the bell rang, we walked to Umbridge's class together.

As soon as we arrived she asked us to put our wands away. I reluctantly put my wand inside my bag and sat down next to Draco.

"Don't you dare lose your temper today, because she's just going to torture you again," Draco said. I sighed and stared at the back of my hand. Draco extended his arm so his fingertips carefully grazed the surface of my scar. I flinched and he winced.

Umbridge assigned us a chapter and I began to read and write, that was until I noticed Hermione's hand was up. Umbridge walked toward her and went straight to her face. Sitting behind Hermione, I felt intimidated.

"What is it this time, Miss Granger?" Umbridge asked in a low hissing voice.

"I've already read chapter two," Hermione said. Umbridge breathed in deeply.

"Then read chapter 3," she said flatly.

"I read that too. I read the whole book," Hermione said. Even Umbridge was surprised.

"Then you can tell me what Slinkhard says about counter-jinxes in chapter fifteen," Umbridge inquired.

"He says counter-jinxes are improperly named. He said it's just a name given to jinxes to make them sound more acceptable," Hermione recited. Umbridge couldn't hide how impressed she was.

"But I disagree," Hermione said. My heart skipped a beat and I noticed Draco tensed up too.

"You disagree?" She asked slowly.

"Yes, I do. Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively," Hermione said. Umbridge stared at her with fire in her eyes.

"Oh you do, do you? Well I'm afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion, not yours, Miss Granger, that matters within this classroom," Umbridge said.

"Well, I agree with her," I blurt out. Draco kicked me.

"Do you?" Umbridge asked, fixating her glance on me. She looked down at my hand and tsked. She walked up to the front of the class.

"Miss Granger, I'm going to take five points from Gryffindor House. Miss Romano, I'm going to take ten points from Ravenclaw House," Umbridge said with fake sweetness.

"What for?" Ron asked loudly, as more people began to murmur and protest. Harry opened his mouth to speak and Hermione's eyes got wide.

"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," Umbridge said, "This Ministry teaching method does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little."

Hermione had put her head down and I was afraid she might cry out of anger.

"Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you much more license but none of them- except for Professor Quirrell who did at least seem to have restricted himself to age-appropriate material- would have passed Ministry inspections," Umbridge said.

"Yeah Quirrel was a great teacher," Harry began. Hermione waved at him to stop but he didn't.

"There was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head," Harry said.

Boom, that was it. Umbridge handed him another detention.

At dinner that night, Angelina Johnson screamed at Harry so loudly that Professor McGonagall had to break them up. When told what he'd done, she scolded him too and took more points away from Gryffindor.

"She's taking points off Gryffindor because I'm having my hand sliced open every night!" Harry snarled.

"She doesn't know about that!" I protested.

"Still mate, she's bang out of order," Ron said. Hermione was quiet and Harry accused her of agreeing with McGonagall.

"She's right to tell you not to lose your temper with Umbridge but not about taking house points," Hermione said flatly.

The next day in Transfiguration a familiar pink toad awaited inside, clearly waiting to inspect McGonagall.

"Excellent, let's see Umbridge get what she deserves," Ron said.

Professor McGonagall walked in and had us settle down. She instructed Lavender Brown to pass out mice, to which Umbridge responded with a "hem hem."

McGonagall ignored her and had Seamus Finnigan pass back essays. Ron and Harry got A's, Hermione and I O's.

McGonagall began her lesson but Umbridge again decided to throw in a little "hem hem" for good measure.

"Yes?" McGonagall asked irritably.

"I was just wondering, Professor, if you received my note telling you the date and time of your inspection-"

"Obviously I did, otherwise I would've asked what you were doing in my classroom," McGonagall said flatly. Many of us smiled gleefully, and I snickered.

Professor McGonagall started up again but Umbridge wasn't done.

"Hem, hem."

"I wonder, how you expect to gain any idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking," McGonagall spat furiously. Umbridge looked like someone had shredded her cardigan and slapped her with the remains.

"How can she even lecture me about losing my temper with Umbridge?" Harry hissed as he leaned over to me. I giggled softly and shrugged.

Umbridge sat in the back of the class and furiously scribbled notes. Hermione and I both vanished our mice but Harry and Ron only got halfway. When the class ended, we lagged behind.

"How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" Umbridge asked.

"Thirty-nine years in December," McGonagall said fiercely as she grabbed her bag.

"Very well. You'll receive the results of your inspection in ten days time," Umbridge said, leaving the classroom quickly.

"I can hardly wait," McGonagall said. I snickered.

"Hurry up you four," McGonagall told us.

"Way to go Professor," I whispered as I passed by her. I swear she smiled at me.

That night in the Gryffindor Common Room, Ron and I devised a plan.

"I could create a potion that'll make her lose all her memories and then we could perform a few spells and make her nice," I said.

"Or we could slip her poison, you can brew it and Harry and I will distract her-"

"Oh, you two we're not going to poison her or cast spells on her!" Hermione said.

"Well, what do you suggest?" I asked.

"I was thinking we should just do it ourselves," Hermione said.

"Yeah exactly, take her out ourselves," Ron said. I giggled but Hermione shook her head.

"Teach ourselves Defence Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said.

"That sounds fun," I said. Ron disagreed.

"You want us to do extra work? D'you realize Harry and I are behind on homework again and it's only been three weeks?" Ron asked.

"But this is so much more important than homework!" Hermione protested.

"I didn't think there was anything in the universe more important than homework," Harry said.

"Don't be silly, of course there is! It's about preparing ourselves, like Harry said in Umbridge's first lesson, for what's waiting out there! It's about making sure we really can defend ourselves. If we don't learn anything for a whole year-"

"We can't do much by ourselves," Ron noted.

"Yes we can, we have a whole library of books to help us!" I said. Hermione nodded excitedly.

"And we need a proper teacher," Hermione added.

"If you're talking about Lupin," Harry started.

"I'm talking about YOU, Harry!" Hermione said.

"Yes, that's perfect! You're the best in the year at Defence Against the Dark Arts," I said.

"You and Hermione both beat me on tests, and Jules you were in FRANCE and you beat me," Harry said.

"That's not the point! I mean you have the most experience," I said, "look at all you've done."

"Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets-" Ron began.

"I had help! It was luck, I couldn't have done it without help!" Harry argued.

"But still!" Hermione insisted. Harry got to his feet angrily.

"You don't know what it's like! None of you have ever had to face him, have you? You think it's just memorizing spells and throwing them at him-" Harry said.

"No, Harry, we don't! This is the exact point, you KNOW what it's like to face him and we don't! What's a common factor in every competent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? They've faced the Dark Arts!" I spat.

"See? We need to know what's it's really like to face...V-Voldemort," Hermione said. Ron squeaked. I noticed Harry calmed down.

"I'll think about it," Harry mumbled.

"Oh, you better. I don't want anyone but you teaching us to kick some Dark Lord butt," I said.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry did decide that we should go along with Hermione's idea of an army.

We met in the Hogs Head with several Hogwarts students from every house except Slytherin of course. Hermione had invited the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, and I the Ravenclaws.

"Could we have twenty six Butterbeers please?" Fred ordered.

The bartender huffed and left.

He returned a moment later with the Butterbeers.

"Cheers, cough up everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these," Fred said.

I laughed and looked at Fred, who stuck his tongue out at me.

Harry started whispering to Hermione, looking a bit irritated.

Hermione cleared her throat and looked at me nervously. I gave her a thumbs up. She nodded. I walked up to meet her at the front of this "conference room" we created.

"Er...well...er...hi," Hermione stammered.

"Hi guys," I said, waving at everyone.

"Well...erm...well, you know why you're here. Erm...well, Harry had the idea-I mean," Hermione said but then Harry gave her a bothered look and she corrected herself, "I had the idea that it might be good if people who wanted to sudy Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I mean, really study it, you know not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us."

"...because nobody could call THAT Defense Against the Dark Arts," I said.

"Hear, hear," said Anthony Goldstein with approval.

Hermione cleared her throat again.

"You're good, 'Mione," I whispered. She squeezed my hand tightly. I cleared my throat.

"And by that we mean learning how to defend ourselves PROPERLY, not just theory but with real spells" I said.

"You want to pass your DADA O.W.L. too though, I bet?" Michael Corner asked.

"Obviously," I said, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"But we want more than that, we want to be properly trained in Defense because...because..." Hermione gulped. She looked at me and shook her head.

"Because Lord Voldemort's back," I said.

Uneasy murmurs broke into the room.

"Don't call him Lord unless you're one of his Death Eaters," Ron said quietly.

Hermione shot him a nasty look.

"Just call him Voldemort," Harry said.

"Alright. Voldemort," I said. More murmurs. People were staring at me a bit fearfully.

"Well that's the plan anyways. If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to-" Hermione began before she was rudely interrupted by a blonde boy sitting in the back.

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" said the blonde boy. Ron and I stared at him like he was a pile of rat dung.

"Well, Dumbledore believes it-" Hermione began before the boy interrupted her yet again. I was going to punch him.

"You mean, Dumbledore believes HIM," he said, nodding at Harry.

"He's telling the truth," I snapped.

"Were you even there?" The boy asked me fiercely.

"Harry was! He knows!" I snapped, squeezing my fist so hard that I felt my nails break open skin.

"Who are YOU?" Ron asked rudely.

"Zacharias Smith," the boy said.

"That's such a prat name," I said.

Zacharias turned red before continuing.

"And I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes HIM say You-Know-Who's back," he said.

"He saw him, are you bloody deaf?" I asked, beginning to walk toward him. Ron pulled me back.

"LOOK," said Hermione, "that's not really what this meeting was supposed to be about-"

"It's okay Hermione," Harry finally spoke.

Heads turned to him.

"What makes me say You-Know-Who's back?" Harry started, eyeing Zacharias, "I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you don't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

There was silence. I stared at everyone, daring them to speak. Zacharias opened his mouth.

"All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts," Zacharias said. "He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know-"

I balled my fist so tight I felt blood seep out.

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry said.

I looked around and everyone was looking nervous at the continuous mention of You Know Who's name.

"I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So of that's what you're her for, you might as well clear out," Harry said, anger within him. I saw Cho look crestfallen.

Then I stared at Zacharias angrily. He huffed and ignored my glance.

"So...so like I was saying," Hermione continued softly, "If you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet and when we're going to-"

"Is it true, that you can produce a Patronus?" A Hufflepuff girl asked, directing the question at Harry.

Everyone was suddenly interested.

"Yeah," Harry answered.

"A corporeal Patronus?" The girl asked.

Harry stiffened, as if the remark had bothered him.

"Er-you don't know Madame Bones, do you?" He asked.

The girl smiled.

"She's my auntie. I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing," Susan said, "So is it really true? You can make a stag Patronus?"

"Yes," Harry said.

"Blimey Harry!" Lee exclaimed, "I never knew that!"

"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," Fred said, "She said you got enough attention as it was."

"She's not wrong," Harry remarked.

Some people laughed.

"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" asked Terry Boot. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year."

"Er-yeah, I did, yeah," said Harry.

People were impressed.

"And in our first year, he saved that Sorcerous Stone," Neville said.

"Sorcerer's," Hermione hissed at him.

"Yes that, from You-Know-Who," Neville finished.

"And that's not to mention, all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year--getting past dragons and merpeople and acromantas and things," Cho said. Harry beamed.

I felt so proud listening to all the things Harry had done. I had only been there for the Tournament, but even then I knew he'd done great things.

"Look, I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but I had a lot of help with all that stuff," Harry said.

"Not with that dragon, you didn't. That was a seriously cool bit of flying," Michael Corner said.

"It was! Even Krum couldn't do that," I stated.

"Yeah wel-" Harry started.

"And nobody helped you get rid of those dementors this summer," I added.

"No. No okay I know I did bits of it without help but the point I'm trying to make is-" Harry started again before Zacharias decided to interrupt yet again.

"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any stuff?" Zacharias retorted.

"Here's an idea, why don't you shut your mouth?" Ron snapped.

"Well we've all turned up to learn from him and now he's telling us he can't really do any of it," Zacharias said.

"That's not what he said!" I snarled.

"Would you like us to clean your ears out for you?" George asked as he pulled a metal rod out of a bag.

"Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stick this," Fred said menacingly. Zacharias shut up after that.

"Yes well, moving on..." Hermione squeaked, "the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?"

There were several murmurs of agreement.

"Right, well then the next question is how often we do it. I really don't think there's any point in meeting less than once a week-" Hermione said.

"Hang on. We need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice," Angelina Johnson said.

"Or ours," Cho said.

"Nor ours," said Zacharias.

"Quidditch isn't our main concern right now," I said irritably.

"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," Hermione said quickly, "but you know, this is rather important, we're talking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort's Death Eaters."

"Well said!" Ernie exclaimed, "Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year. Even with our O.W.L.s coming up!"

No one objected his cause.

"I personally am at a loss to see why the Ministry had foisted such a useless teacher upon us at this critical period. Obviously they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from learning defensive spells..." Ernie finished.

"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts is that she's got some mad idea that Dumbledore could use students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilize is against the Ministry," I explained.

"Well that makes sense, Fudge has his own private army," Luna said.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Yes he's got an army of heliopaths," Luna said.

"No he hasn't," Hermione snapped.

"Hermione!" I snapped at her.

"What are heliopaths?" Neville Longbottom asked.

"Spirits of fire," Luna said.

"They don't exist," Hermione said flatly.

"Oh yes they do!" Luna retorted angrily.

"I'm sorry, but where's the proof of that?" Hermione replied with venom in her voice.

"There are plenty of eyewitness accounts, just because you're so narrow minded that you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you-"

"Luna!" I cried.

I pushed Hermione and Luna away from each other. Hermione had started to spout something personal about Luna's mother that I knew would be hurtful.

"Hem, hem," a voice said.

Everyone turned horror struck, but saw it was only Ginny.

"Weren't we trying to decide how often we're going to meet and get Defense lessons?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, yes we were, you're right," Hermione said. I pushed Luna further back away from her.

"Well, once a week sounds cool," Lee said.

"Yeah especially since we all have loads of homework," Ron said.

"As long as-" Angeline started.

"Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch," Hermione exasperated.

"Well the other thing to decide is where we're going to meet," I said.

"Library?" Katie Bell suggested.

"I can't see Madame Pince being too chuffed with us doing jinxes in the library.." Harry noticed.

"Unused classroom?" Dean Thomas asked.

"Yeah. McGonagall might let us have hers? She did when Harry was practicing for the Triwizard," Ron said.

"She might, she hates Umbridge as much as we do," I said.

"Flitwick hates her too," Terry Boot added.

"We could totally practice in the bathroom," a Gryffindor girl said.

"RIGHT. Well, we'll try to find somewhere. We'll send a message round to everybody when we've got a time and place for the first meeting," I said.

"How would we do that?" Hermione hissed.

"Protean Charm, easy," I said, thinking the answer was obvious. She stared at me like I was mad and I shrugged.

"I think everyone should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think we ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge-or anybody else-what we're up to," Hermione instructed.

People flooded forward and began writing their names down. I waved my wand slightly and uttered a spell to jinx the paper.

"What was that, Jules?" Hermione asked.

"Jinx. If someone snitches, we'll know," I said.

"Perfect," Hermione said, beaming.

When everyone finished we left, utterly exhausted.

"That Zacharias Smith bloke is a wart," Ron said.

"Yeah he only came cause he heard me telling Ernie and Hannah Abbot. Lots of people who I didn't invite came, so that's good. More people the better," Hermione said.

"Yeah, I invited Cho, Celeste, Seo Jin, Gideon, Terry, and Luna but not Michael Corner. I suppose he only came cause he's going out with Ginny," I said.

Ron spit his butterbeer out.

"He's WHAT? My sister- she's- what do you mean she's going out with Michael Corner?" Ron spluttered.

"I mean just that, they're going out. You know Michael, the dark haired Ravenclaw," I said.

Ron stared blankly at me.

"He complimented Harry's flying..." I said.

Ron kept staring.

"The bloke who was sitting next to her!" I said.

"Oh, HIM? He's ugly!" Ron said.

"Not according to Celeste, but then again she finds Gideon attractive..." I said.

"They met at the Yule Ball and got together at the end of last year," Hermione said to Ron.

"But I thought Ginny fancied Harry!" Ron said.

"She hasn't for months, Ron!" Hermione said. I stared at Harry and shrugged.

"Well I didn't like him," Ron decided.

"He's nice," I said.

"He's in your house and you're a girl! Of course he's nice to you," Ron said.

"No, Ron. He's legitimately a nice person," I said, exasperated. "Me being a girl has nothing to do with it! Just because my body is different doesn't mean I would protect a guy with a shitty personality. He's nice."

"Well you're friends with Malfoy-"

"Malfoy is a really nice person when he's just around me and Blaise! He's sweet," I said.

"Malfoy and sweet don't belong in the same universe!" Ron retorted.

I scoffed and crossed my arms, moving closer to Harry.

"So that's why Ginny talks around me now. She never used to," Harry. Hermione nodded.

"I can't believe she's going out with him," Ron muttered.

"This is why she didn't tell you!" I said.

"She knew you'd take it badly," Hermione agreed.

"I'm not taking it badly," Ron muttered as he started murmuring some other words that were inaudible to me.

"What about you and Cho, Harry?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Ah, boys.

"She couldn't keep her eyes off you," Hermione noted. She and I smirked as Harry turned red.

"Well what about you and Draco?" Harry shot back at me.

"What about us? I'm still angry with him for being such a prat in public but we're talking again," I said.

"Well you're always so friendly to him, I thought you fancied him," Harry said. I pushed him to the side.

"I do not!" I said. Hermione raised an eyebrow and I face palmed myself.

I did not fancy Draco Malfoy. I did not fancy Draco Malfoy. He was cute but we were just friends. I didn't. I didn't....


	10. Chapter 10

"She can't possibly have found out!" I shrieked as I reread the "educational decree" posted on the wall.

"She has to! Why else would she ban student organizations?" Harry said.

"No, she actually can't possibly have found out!" Hermione said.

"Someone snitched!" Ron snarled.

"No one snitched Ron, otherwise we'd know! I jinxed the list!" I said. Harry blinked rapidly.

"You did what?" He asked.

"I put a jinx on the list. It'll leave a visible mark on whoever snitches," I said.

"That's bloody brilliant," Harry marveled.

"What does it do?" Ron asked.

"Let's just say it makes severe acne look like a bunch of cute freckles," I said with a grin. Hermione high fived me.

"Still, why would she post this if she didn't know?" Ron asked.

"I don't know but that's not going to stop us," Hermione said confidently. I nodded in agreement. We began to walk to the Great Hall when Angelina Johnson stopped us.

"Harry! We have to ask for permission to reform the Quidditch team because of this!" She said out of breath.

"Oh, Harry you better behave," I said, raising my eyebrows. He nodded and Angelina ran off.

"I bet Umbridge is in Binns' classroom now, she hasn't inspected him," Ron said as we walked onward.

"Perhaps but I think he's not really interesting to her," I said. Hermione shrugged.

During class, Harry's owl Hedwig and my mum's owl Roger showed up at the window.

"Oh look how cute," Lavender Brown said when she saw them together. It was strange, maybe it was a note from Sirius and my mum.

I went discreetly to the window to open it. I noticed right away something was wrong and waved Harry to come over.

"Both of them have broken wings!" I hissed. I cradled Roger into my arms and Harry grabbed Hedwig.

"We feel sick Professor Binns, we need to go to the Hospital Wing," I called as we headed for the door.

"Ah yes, Perkins...Riggs," he mumbled. Hermione and Ron started putting Harry and I's materials in our bags.

"I wish Hagrid was here!" Harry said anxiously as we went straight to McGonagall's office. When we walked in, she didn't immediately notice the owls.

"Don't tell me you two got detention again!" She said in an exasperated tone.

"No, our owls have been hurt!" I said frantically. Luckily the Care of Magical Teachers Professor walked in and took the owls to mend their wings. She nearly forgot to give us what the owls had for us but McGonagall reminded her.

"Bear in mind you two, that the channels of communication in and out of Hogwarts are being watched," McGonagall said sternly.

"My mum just sent cookies," I said, offering her the usual Snickerdoodle. She took one.

"Be careful," McGonagall said as we left.

"Maybe Umbridge wants to see specifically who you're talking to!" I said when we were at lunch.

"She might as well have injured your owls since they came together," Ron said.

"Same time same place, Snuffles right?" Hermione asked. That was Sirius' code name.

"Yes. But I don't know if he should contact us tonight," I said.

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked.

"Well when McGonagall meant communication is being watched, she can't just mean mail. That's Patronuses, Howlers, Floo Networks, and the fireplaces. She could easily have access to Gryffindor's fireplace!" I said.

"You're right! But how do we warn him not to come if that might be intercepted too?" Hermione asked fearfully.

"We won't be able to," I said solemnly.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Draco.

".....it'll be interesting to see if the Gryffindors are allowed to keep playing, won't it?" He said in his cocky voice.

"Don't," Hermione snapped at Harry.

Draco didn't seem to have noticed I was there since I wasn't facing him.

"If it's based on influence with the ministry, they don't stand a chance. From what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years," Draco said.

"That's Ron's dad," Hermione said. I immediately felt angrier.

"As for Potter, my father says it's a matter of time before they cart him off to St Mungo's. They've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic-"

"Don't you dare continue," I snarled at him.

His eyes widened significantly when he noticed I was there.

"Jules! I didn't know you were here-"

"You've got to stop being such a prat!" I snapped. He faltered and suddenly someone knocked him down.

"Neville!" Ron yelled. Neville Longbottom had launched himself onto Draco.

"Stop it!" I screamed. Harry and Ron lunged forward to pull Neville back. I grabbed Draco and pulled him back, out of Neville's reach. Draco was spouting obscenities and Neville was spluttering a bunch of words that didn't really make sense.

"How could you?" I asked Draco fiercely.

"He launched himself at me!" Draco protested.

"You didn't have to say such foul things! Whether I'm there or not!" I spat. Draco stared at me for a moment, wiping a trace of blood from his mouth due to the one punch Neville landed on him. I won't lie, he looked devilishly handsome.

I stared angrily at him, glaring deep into his eyes, waiting for him to argue with me. He was going to, but I noticed he bit back a retort and turned and walked away. I turned back to Neville.

"What were you thinking? His goons would've broken you in half if Harry and Ron hadn't pulled you back!" I cried.

Neville just mumbled something, looking like he was about to burst into angry tears. Then he left.

"That was scary," Hermione said with a squeak.

We trudged to Potions after that and what joy, Umbridge was in the class. As soon as I walked in Draco fixated his eyes on me but I ignored him.

"Jules..." he said.

"Save it," I snapped as I walked past him. I went and sat at our usual table.

"You've got some weird plan going on with trying to make him a better person and honestly it's not going to happen," Harry said.

"I can try," I snapped, feeling angry.

"You will notice," Snape began, "that we have a guest today."

I stared at Umbridge, still wanting to slip poison into her tea.

We finished our Strengthening Solutions and I handed mine in to Snape first. Umbridge stared at me and then at Snape.

"Does this one give you trouble?" She asked, her eyes twinkling maliciously. Snape came to my aid.

"No, she doesn't. She's the best student in all my classes including sixth and seventh years," Snape said. Umbridge stared at me loathfully. I think I may have flashed her a subtle smirk and walked back to my desk.

When I got back, Harry had messed the potion up.

"Oh, Harry you added pomegranate juice before the salamander blood!" I moaned. He frantically reread the instructions on the board.

"You should add some dragon saliva to neutralize both of them so you can add it in the correct order," I said. Hermione stared at me with awe.

"Dragon saliva does that?" She asked.

"Yes, but they don't like to reveal that. We learned that in Beauxbatons because they like us being able to correct our mistakes," I said. Hermione was impressed.

Harry's potion became a bit better after that, but then when I fixated on Snape and Umbridge, it wasn't as relevant.

"You continuously have been applying for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position, right?" Umbridge asked him. I nudged Harry, who also listened in.

"Yes," Snape said.

"And you've been unsuccessful?" Umbridge asked. Merlin was she daft.

"Obviously," Snape said, clearly fascinated with the diminutive intelligence Umbridge possessed.

"I think I'm skiving off Divination today," Harry said glumly.

"Don't do that!" Hermione said.

"Hark who's talking, you walked out of that class! You hate Trelawney!" Ron said.

"Don't worry 'Mione, they're just jealous that you had the brains to leave that dumb class. Beauxbatons considers it a waste of time," I said. Hermione smirked at me and Ron made a face.

In Alchemy that day, we were studying fire containment and its combustible properties to write chemical equations for conversion into other elements. I understood the properties and finished the homework in class, but both Aaron and Draco were struggling.

I think that today's earlier ordeal had made Draco pretend I was invisible because he asked Aaron for help. Aaron the asked me for help so I helped him. Then he helped Draco.

Draco kept staring at me during class, maybe contemplating whether he should try and speak to me or just forget about me and never talk to me again.

"You're a right foul git, you know that right?" I asked him as we walked out of class.

"Shut up," Draco said under his breath.

"Can't stand hearing the truth, now can you?" I asked, challenging him. He stared at me like I wasn't worth his time.

"The thing is Jules, that's just my nature and you can't accept it so maybe we shouldn't be friends," Draco said. I raised an eyebrow.

"If you want that then fine, I don't need to speak with you to feel like my life is complete. But honestly, you're not Draco. You're what Ron and Harry call Malfoy. And I became friends with Draco, the boy who reads Alchemy based novels and likes Potions and is kind. Lately, I've had to interact a lot with Malfoy, the prick that just goes looking for trouble by insulting everyone he deems unworthy," I said. Draco faltered a bit, and I noticed my words had struck a nerve in him.

"So either I get Draco back and we continue friends, or I never speak to you again, Malfoy," I said boldly, turning around and walking away. I had left him speechless.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was boring as usual. Harry was quiet today, and Hermione didn't raise her hand. I just took my notes and read and began to do other homework. Sitting next to Draco was making me want to move but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing his mere presence bothered me.

Angelina Johnson let us know later that Umbridge had said she was going to think about letting the Gryffindor Quidditch team reform. Harry wasn't too happy but Hermione said they'd have extra time to do their essays now. Harry and Ron weren't thrilled.

That night I set up my blankets on the couch of the Gryffindor Common Room so I wouldn't need to go back to mine. Honestly, I might as well have been in Gryffindor since I spent more time there than in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Celeste and Seo Jin now had their books arranged on my bed since I hardly used it.

Sirius appeared promptly at the time he'd stated.

"Hey Sirius," I said.

My mother's face popped in next to his.

"Hey mum," I said with a smirk.

"Hi Jules, hello everyone," she said with a smile.

"Hi Ms. Romano," Hermione said.

"Well, I'll let you talk with Sirius. Just checking up on you," my mum said as she took her head out.

"Merlin your mum's pretty, Jules," Sirius said. I winced.

"Are you two starting to like each other?" I asked. Sirius pretended he didn't hear me.

"How are things?" Sirius asked.

"Not good," Harry said, "The Ministry's forced through another Decree which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams-"

"Or secret Defense Against the Dark Arts groups," Sirius said, raising his eyebrows at us.

"How did you know about that?" Ron asked.

"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," Sirius said, "The Hog's Head...."

"It was better than the Three Broomsticks!" Hermione protested.

"It's always packed with people," I agreed.

"Which means you'd have been harder to overhear. You've got a lot to learn, girls," Sirius said. I felt defeated.

"Who overheard us?" Harry demanded.

"Mundungus Fletcher. He was the witch under the veil," Sirius said with a smirk.

"You've got an Order member cross-dressing?" I asked.

"And I'm still being followed?" Harry asked a bit angrily.

"Yep, and a good thing too if you're trying to form illegal groups," Sirius said with an air of pride.

"We love doing illegal things," I stated.

"Why didn't Dung show himself to us? We'd have liked to say hello," Ron said.

"He's been banned from the Hogs Head and the barman's got a long memory. Plus we lost Moody's spare Invisibility Cloak-" Sirius began.

"Invisibility Cloak?! Who's got an Invisibility Cloak?" I asked enthusiastically. Sirius laughed.

"Harry and Mad-Eye do," Sirius said. I stared indignantly at Harry.

"You didn't tell me that!" I cried.

"You didn't ask!" Harry protested.

"Anyways Ron, I've got a message from your mum," Sirius said.

"Oh yeah?" Ron asked.

"She says on no account whatsoever are you to take part in an illegal secret Defense Against the Dark Arts group. She says you'll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now. She also advises Harry, Juliana, and Hermione not to proceed with the group though she accepts that she has no authority over any of them and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She also says she can't wait to meet you, Jules. She would have written it all to you but if the owl had been intercepted you'd have all been in real trouble and she can't say it herself because she's on duty tonight," Sirius said.

"On duty for what?" Ron asked.

"Never you mind, just stuff for the Order," Sirius said.

"Is my mum in the Order now too?" I asked.

"Yes she is, Jules and she's a very important asset like Arthur Weasley. Both have extensive Ministry connections that have been helping us out," Sirius said. I sighed, now filled with more worry.

There was a long silence.

"So you want me to say I'm not going to take part in the defense group?" Harry muttered finally.

"Me? Certainly not! Jules' mum and I think it's an excellent idea, but we'd never dare tell anyone in the Order that," Sirius said.

"You do?" Harry asked.

"Of course I do! Do you think your father and I would've lain and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?" Sirius asked.

"But last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks!" Harry protested.

"Last year all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry! This year we know that there's someone outside Hogwarts that would like to kill us all so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!" Sirius said. I nodded enthusiastically.

"And if we do get expelled?" Hermione asked fearfully.

"This whole thing was your idea!" I cried incredulously.

"I know it was, I just wondered what Sirius thought," she said softly.

"Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue," Sirius noted.

"Hear, hear," Harry and Ron said.

"So how are you organizing this group? Where are you meeting?" Sirius asked.

"Well, that's a bit of a problem now. We don't know where we're going to be able to go," I said.

"How about the Shrieking Shack?" Sirius suggested.

"Hey, that's an idea!" Harry said.

"Well Sirius, it's just that there were only four of you meeting in the Shrieking Shack when you were at school. And all of you could transform into animals and I suppose you could all have squeezed under a single Invisibility Cloak if you wanted to. But there are 28 of us and none of us is an Animagus so we wouldn't need so much an Invisibility Cloak as an Invisibility Marquee," Hermione said.

"We should become Animagi," I said thoughtfully.

"That's an idea. And fair point, Hermione. Well, I'm sure you'll come up with somewhere....there used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor- you might have enough space to practice jinxes there," Sirius said.

"Fred and George told me it's blocked. Caved in or something," Harry said.

"Oh. Well, I'll have to think and get back to-"

Sirius tensed up.

"Sirius get out now!" I screamed.

His image disappeared and almost immediately the unmistakable fat had of Dolores Umbridge waved in front of the fireplace right where Sirius' head had been.


	11. Chapter 11

"She has to have been reading your mail, Harry! How else would she even know?" Ron said.

"Last night was an insanely close call," I said as I flicked my wand to silence the raven that was in front of me.

"Well he definitely can't do that again, but how will we let him know that?" Hermione asked.

"I can send my mum a mixed language letter. We know Umbridge doesn't speak Czech or Russian or German and loads of other languages and I doubt anyone here speak those," I said.

"That might be our only hope. How did you learn all those languages anyway?" Ron asked.

"My mum's in foreign relations. She learned many languages and just casually taught them to me. I learned Czech, Russian, Swedish, Dutch, Bulgarian, Korean, and Romanian from her. Beauxbatons taught in French so I learned French, and I took German, Italian, English, and Spanish there," I said.

"That's insane but yes I do suggest you do that," Harry said. I nodded curtly.

"I don't reckon he'll risk it anyway," Hermione said.

"Exactly. He isn't dumb," I said.

"Ron you need to do a sharp jab, not a wave," Hermione instructed as she silenced her raven.

"Very good Miss Granger and Miss Romano," Flitwick said as he walked past. Harry and Ron had to study the spell for homework.

During our break, Angelina Johnson came running over to announce she'd gotten permission to reform the Quidditch team. Harry and Ron were thrilled when they heard the news, but Hermione looked like she was deeply contemplating something.

"Is it the right thing to do, Jules?" Hermione asked. I sat down next to her.

"Yes, it is. Sirius and my mum agree. How else will we defend ourselves? Something tells me we won't have a peaceful year," I said. Hermione shrugged.

"We never do, welcome to the club," she said miserably.

The Gryffindor Quidditch practice was insane. It hadn't stopped raining and Angelina still insisted on practicing. I used an Impervius spell on everyone's vision so they could see through the rain. I sat in one of the towers with a blanket wrapped tightly around me, watching them.

Fred and George were complaining about how their Fever Fudge had left boils in a place that made it painful for them to sit on their brooms. I went back into the castle and came out with some ingredients and my cauldron and made a small fire to brew a potion to help alleviate them. Midway through their practice I finished and had them drink it. It worked well.

"Bloody hell thank Merlin that's over," Fred groaned as he gave me back the cup I filled with the potion.

"We owe you one, Jules," George said.

"No worries. Also, the Fever Fudge has too low of a methicillin concentration because you added too much procainamide for making the fever higher. If you lower the amount of procainamide, you can up the methicillin concentrations so it can kill the staphylococcus bacteria that result from the Fudge and therefore not have boils," I said. Fred gaped at me.

"Well that explains it," George said. I smiled.

"Thanks a million, Jules. Have to go back to practice now," Fred said. He and George waved at me and flew off.

I sat for a while when I heard a voice.

"Hey Jules," the voice said.

"Go away Malfoy," I said.

"I wanted to talk to you," Malfoy said.

"Do you really?" I asked irritably.

"Yes. I know this is going to sound fake to you but I really am sorry. I'll try to be nicer. I'm not going to make excuses for why I act the way I do but I swear on Merlin's grave I will try really hard to be nicer. I just want us to be friends again," Malfoy said.

I sighed, pondering about what to say.

"I finished Elements of the Earth. Who would have thought that Avery was going to save Lorainne with a simple transformation when Eleanor spent the whole time teaching him all this complex stuff," Draco said. I smiled a bit.

"She still thought Luka was behind it, they never realized that Colin could cause as much damage, even with easier magic," I said.

"I liked the book," Draco said, coming to sit down next to me. I gazed up at the players, who had either noticed Draco was with me and didn't care, or just hadn't noticed.

I noticed Draco was shivering. I unwrapped the blanket from myself and put it around his shoulders. He took it and pulled it a bit more to cover his back completely.

"Does this mean we're friends again? Or are you just a nice stranger helping a bully?" Draco asked. I smirked and shook my head.

"We're friends. I don't know how much longer that'll last but you've really got to try. I like our friendship and I don't want to lose that over you and Harry having some sort of feud going on," I said. Draco nodded. He scooted closer to me and wrapped the blanket more tightly around himself. I don't know if it was meant to just warm him up or if he actually just wanted to be closer to me.

I noticed he continued to pull it more and more until he was completely pressed up against me and the blanket entirely covered us both. We didn't talk. We just sat there, looking out into the rain.

"You should've been in Slytherin," Draco mumbled after a while. I looked at him.

"And why's that?" I asked.

"You're ambitious, quick to run your mouth and even quicker to jump to someone's defense. You have an attitude that can't be defeated by anyone else. You're the most cunning and hard working person I've ever met. That says Slytherin all over," Draco said.

"Really? I felt that was more like Gryffindor," I said with a smirk on my face. Draco and I both burst out laughing. I sighed and looked at him.

"Why can't it be like this when people are watching too?" I asked softly.

"Because then I'd be seen as a softie Slytherin and I wouldn't be as important," Draco whispered.

"What's wrong with being a softie Slytherin?" I asked.

"It's not supposed to happen. Especially not to a Malfoy," Draco said. I frowned then stared back out into the field. I noticed Harry holding his scar and talking to Ron. I shot up and pushed the blanket onto Draco.

"I think something's wrong with Harry," I said.

Harry just waved Ron off and they both walked away. I sat down, disappointed. I don't think anyone had remembered I was still here. The pitch was empty.

"Do you fly?" Draco asked. I shook my head vigorously.

"Accident when I was a kid. I'm scared of that, and heights too. That's why I sat all the way up here, so I can't see over the ledge," I said. Draco gave me a puzzled look.

"You don't seem like you'd be afraid of that," he said.

"Well I am, don't judge," I said a bit rudely. Draco smirked and pulled a broom out from behind him.

"I brought this. We're going to fly," he said. My eyes widened.

"Oh no. Nonono. I'm good, I'm fine. It's late, we should go inside," I said frantically, beginning to grab my things.

"Cmon, you'll be fine," he said, grabbing my hand and leading me down. I wrapped my legs on the bars under the stands. Draco sighed.

"I'm too afraid," I said.

"You've got to conquer that fear," Draco said. I stared at him.

"A Gryffindor wouldn't give up," he reminded me. I scowled and followed him down onto the field.

"Just mount it and kick off," he instructed. I straddled the broom and gulped, pressing my toes against the ground and jumping.

I screamed when the broom levitated off the ground.

"Shh," Draco said, although he was laughing.

"I don't like this!" I said, "I don't know how to fly!"

"Yes, you do. You learned then you had an accident. You never unlearn. You're just scared," Draco said. I gulped and closed my eyes, keeping my broom in place.

"Cmon, fly a bit forward," Draco said. I reluctantly leaned forward and the broom moved slowly ahead.

"There you go, see? That wasn't so bad," Draco said.

"That actually sucked, I'm never going to be able to fly," I said.

"Do you even know how amazing it feels to fly?" Draco asked.

"Not that I can recall," I said. Draco smirked. He mounted the broom in front of me.

"Oh nonono you're not taking me up," I said, scrambling to get off. Draco smirked and started going forward, faster than I had moved it. I screamed and grabbed onto his shoulders.

"You're going to make me deaf!" He said with a laugh as he turned the broom and started increasing speed. I moved my hands down to wrap around his midsection and held on tightly, closing my eyes. He increased the speed. The wind was slapping me in the face and the raindrops burned against my cheeks.

"Open your eyes, Jules," Draco said. I opened one eye and nearly fainted of fright when I saw we were at the tower's height.

"Draco whatever your middle name is Malfoy, take me down this instant," I demanded. He smirked and I regretted it.

"As you wish," he said. I screamed and shut my eyes as he pulled the broom into a fast dive, only pulling up when we nearly hit the ground. Once he was flying straight again, I opened my eyes. I didn't want to admit it, but despite being scared to death I felt free, alive. I wanted to extend my arms out but I was too scared. He did two fast laps then stopped the broom, landing.

I stopped holding onto him and walked off the broom, tripping, and falling.

"You ok?" Draco asked with a laugh.

"I'm fine," I squeaked.

"That wasn't so bad, was it? He asked.

"No," I admitted, "It was really fun towards the end."

Draco smirked.

"You could fly if you wanted to, you just need to get over your fear," he said, extending his arm to help me up. He pulled me up then bent down to grab his broom. I flicked my wand and my cauldron and blankets flew into my hands from the tower.

Draco grabbed the blanket and draped it over us. We walked together back to the school.

"If I get sick I'm blaming you, Draco," I hissed when we walked in and I sneezed. He smirked.

"You were the one there in the first place," he reminded me. I scowled.

"Cmon, I'll walk you back to your common room," he said. Leaving the blanket just for me, he carried my cauldron and followed me to the Ravenclaw Common Room.

"Well see you in Alchemy, Jules," Draco said as he handed me my cauldron.

"Yeah, see you," I said, smiling at him. He smiled again and began to walk away.

I didn't like Draco Malfoy. I didn't.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day I woke up with a cold. Seo Jin gave me a tonic she drank for colds and by the end of the day, I felt better.

The day after that, I was introduced to the famous Dobby that Harry had told me about. He was acute little house elf with a huge appreciation for freedom. For some reason he really liked wearing hats and socks, but hey I won't judge.

Dobby found us a special place to practice our spells. It was called the Room of Requirement, and became whatever the seeker needed. For example if I was exhausted and entered the room, a wide selection of comfortable beds would be available. If someone really needed to use the bathroom, chamber pots would be made available. Magic never ceased to amaze me.

"We've found somewhere to have our first Defense meeting. Tonight, eight o clock, seventh floor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls," Harry said to Angelina, asking her to communicate the message to Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet.

"Dobby's plans aren't always safe," Hermione reminded Harry. Supposedly this little elf had made Harry lose all the bones in his arm. Wicked cool.

"This room isn't just some mad idea of Dobby's," Harry said defensively, "Dumbledore knows about it too, he mentioned it to me at the Yule Ball."

"Dumbledore told you about it?" I asked.

"Just in passing," Harry said. Hermione relaxed.

"Oh well, that's alright then," Hermione said. I smiled at her and Harry.

Ginny, Hermione, and I were instructed to gather everyone who was on the list. I gathered the Ravenclaws, Ginny the Gryffindors, and Hermione the Hufflepuffs.

At half past seven I exited my common room with Celeste and Seo Jin to go to the meeting place.

We found Gideon Devonshire and Anthony Goldstein heading there too and just walked together. Celeste stared at Gideon like some sort of lovestruck teenager. I learned that Seo Jin fancied Anthony when she asked to be his partner if there was any sort of exercise, to which he cordially accepted. I could tell Celeste wanted to ask Gideon but was too afraid.

We walked into the room and gasped right away.

It was so spacious and simply perfect for practicing Defense spells. As everyone else started arriving, they had the same reaction.

"It's bizarre! We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George?" Fred asked, "But it was just a broom cupboard then."

Inside the room were dark detectors like Foe Glasses and Sneakoscopes.

"This place is amazing," Gideon said.

"Yes," Celeste breathed. I rolled my eyes and smirked.

I walked up to the head of the room.

"Alright can everyone just come close and sit on the floor before we start?" I asked. The people in the room sat and I pulled the trio up with me.

"Well I've been thinking about what we ought to learn and- what Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I think we ought to elect a leader," Hermione said.

"Harry's leader," Cho said. I saw Harry look pleased with himself.

"Yes but I think we ought to vote properly," Hermione said. I rolled my eyes.

"Ok you lot, who's for Harry being leader?" I asked. Everyone raised their hands. I smiled.

"Alright, thanks," Harry said. He was going to speak and then looked irritably at Hermione. "WHAT, Hermione?"

"I think we should also have a name. It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?" She asked. I smirked, imagining everyone wearing matching uniforms with some absurdly funny title printed on them.

"Can we be Anti Umbridge League?" Angelina asked.

"Ministry Of Magic Are Morons Group," Fred suggested.

"Oh I like that one, can we please?" I asked Hermione. She smirked but shook her head.

"I was thinking more a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to. That way we can refer to it outside without anyone else knowing," Hermione said.

"The Defense Association? DA for short," Cho suggested.

"Ooh I like DA but let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army. That's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?" Ginny said with a mischievous grin.

"All in favor of Dumbledore's Army?" I called out. Everyone raised their hands again.

"So that's settled," I said with a smile, writing "DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY" at the top of the sheet of parchment with our names on it.

"Right, shall we get practicing then?" Harry asked.

"Yes, let's," Ron said excitedly. Harry cleared his throat.

"I was thinking the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful-"

"Oh please," Zacharias said, "I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," Harry said softly, "It saved my life last June."

Everyone was silent.

"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Harry said.

Zacharias had his mouth shut. I smirked at him and he turned red.

"Okay. I reckon we should divide into pairs and practice," he instructed.

Gideon went over to be paired with Terry Boot and Celeste looked very glum. I stayed with her to practice.

"We'll take turns?" Celeste asked. I nodded.

"Expelliarmus!" Celeste cast the charm and my wand flew out of my hand and up into the air. I jumped and caught it.

"Expelliarmus!" I cast. Celeste's wand came straight to me.

"How did you do that?" She demanded.

"I just thought of it coming to my hand," I said, throwing her wand back to her, "you try."

She did it again and my wand soared into her hand. A grin of satisfaction was plastered on her face.

"If only Gideon could see you now," I joked. She turned red and threw my wand back at me.

"Why don't you just ask him?" I said. She hesitated so I made my way over to Gideon and Terry.

"Hey Terry, can I partner up with you? Celeste thinks I can't disarm a boy," I said with a smirk. Celeste's mouth dropped open as Terry nodded and came to me, leaving her with Gideon.

"Don't lie, Jules," Terry said with a little laugh, "everyone knows you could disarm someone in a heartbeat."

I flicked my wand and his wand flew into my free hand. He raised an eyebrow.

"What did I tell you? Non-verbally too," he said. I laughed and threw his wand back at him.

"Okay, stop!" Harry called. Terry and I ceased practicing but others didn't.

"Stop, STOP! I need a whistle," Harry said. I waved my wand and a whistle appeared in his hand. He looked up and I waved at him. He nodded his head in appreciation. Then he blew the whistle.

"Ok that was good, but there's definitely room for improvement. Try shielding yourself now," Harry said, blowing the whistle again.

I cast my Protego charm just as Terry began saying the incantation. His spell failed.

"How do you even react so fast?" Terry asked, breathing out loudly.

"Don't know," I said with a smirk, casting another shield charm then my own disarming spell as he attempted to catch me off guard. His wand flew into my hand. He smirked and shook his head.

"You're something else, Jules," he said with a smirk.

We practiced a bit more then Celeste came tugging my shirt asking for a turn with Terry. I laughed and went over to Gideon.

He of course tried to disarm me immediately, off-guard like Terry. I was quicker, and I both shielded myself and disarmed him before he could finish uttering his spell.

"That's not fair!" Gideon said with a grin. I smirked.

"With all due respect, Gideon, you started it," I said as I tossed his wand back to him.

"Maybe. I'd like to duel you sometime. Perhaps you can only keep it up with easy spells," he teased.

"Is that a challenge, Gideon Devonshire?" I asked. He smirked and shrugged.

Before he could cast whatever spell he had in bind, I bound his legs and put a tickling jinx on him. He fell to the floor like a piece of wood, laughing.

"No fair!" He called.

"Fairness is a theme with you, isn't it?" I asked.

Gideon seemed nice enough. If Celeste wanted to go with him, she had my full support. Of course whether she had the guts to do it, I had yet to find out.

Later Terry came back to practice with Gideon because apparently Anthony Goldstein had gone back to the Common Room because he forgot to do an assignment that was due the next day. Celeste was now practicing with Seo Jin, and I was partnerless.

"Want to practice?" Harry asked, coming over with his wand extended out. I smirked.

I disarmed him and levitated him in the air before he could prepare himself.

"Hey!" He said, laughing. I slowly let him down and gave his wand back to him.

"A lot of people are testing my reaction time tonight," I said, looking down at my watch. My eyes widened.

"Harry, it's ten past nine!" I squeaked. His jaw tightened and he blew his whistle.

"It's kind of late everyone, go back to your Common Rooms. Same time next week!" Harry called out.

Several people said "thank you" on their way out. Harry and I went to join Hermione and Ron, who were bickering about how many times Ron had disarmed Hermione. Harry and I decided to have our own conversation.

"You know Cho, she said I make her nervous," Harry said with a grin. I raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a good thing?" I asked.

"Well she couldn't do the spell since I was there and I guess it means something," he said. I nodded my head and shrugged.

"The Boy Who Lived is now the Boy Who Has a Crush on Cho," I said. Harry's cheeks turned red.

"Well you like Malfoy," he said. I stared at him indignantly.

"I don't!" I said. He smirked and nodded.

"Ron and I heard you screaming and saw you with Malfoy on the broom," Harry said. I pouted and then rolled my eyes.

"That's just a friendship, Harry!" I cried.

"Seems like it's turning into something more," he said. I scowled and shook my head. Harry winked.

"Well at any rate, it'll only turn into something more when he stops being such a prick to you lot," I said.


	13. Chapter 13

That weekend, I spent countless hours doing homework and teaching Hermione how to do a Protean Charm because she insisted on learning. She was fascinated I knew how to do it, but it was simply because my mother used it whenever she had meetings with associates that tended to change. She had taught me, and I retained the knowledge.

At first I wanted to do it with a quill but Hermione suggested using Galleons because it was a lot less obvious because of the serial numbers on them. We set it up so that Harry's coin was the only one that could alter dates. I charmed the rest of the coins so that they grew hot whenever the date changed. It was an exhausting process that took two weeks but with Hermione's help, it wasn't as bad.

When we met on the following Wednesday, I came in carrying a basket of Galleons and saw several people's eyes grow wide as plates.

"It's not real money," I announced as I walked by. Ron was disappointed.

"Now you have got to be very careful with these. Don't accidentally spend them," Hermione said.

"You see these little numbers on the edge? They're normally the serial number to indicate which Goblin cast the coin. In this case, they'll read the time and date," I said.

"The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so you'll be able to feel it if it's in your pocket. Only Harry's coin can change the time and date. We've put a Protean Charm on them so they mimic his," Hermione said.

When she said that we had about ten people gaping up at us.

"What?" I asked.

"Need us to go over it again?" Hermione asked.

"No...it's just that.. you can do a Protean Charm?" Terry Boot asked.

"Well I just learned, Jules taught me," Hermione said. Everyone's eyes snapped in my direction and I immediately felt insecure.

"That's NEWT level, that is!" Anthony Goldstein said. I noticed Hermione smirk proudly.

"How come you're not in Ravenclaw?" Terry asked Hermione.

"Well the hat seriously considered putting me there but in the end it chose Gryffindor," she said.

"You know what the coins remind me of?" Harry whispered to me.

"Hmm?"

"The Death Eater scars. If Voldemort touches one of them they all burn and that's how they know they've got to join him," Harry said. I blinked.

"Yes that's where I got the idea from. You know, band of students doing illegal stuff in a secret group to rebel against the government," I said. Harry smirked.

The Gryffindor versus Slytherin match was drawing closer and I was excited to see Harry, Ron, and Draco play.

I had been spending a lot of time with Draco in the library studying for Alchemy and hardly watched the Gryffindors practice anymore but I felt it better that way. If Draco was with me, he wouldn't be bothering them.

"And now when did we even learn the properties of air in the prehistoric era?" Draco sneered at his assignment, scribbling some random words onto the space provided. I laughed.

"We learned that last week in a lecture," I said, handing him the notes I'd taken on it. His expression softened and then he put his face on the table.

"I'm going to fail," he mumbled.

"Not if you try and actually take notes," I said.

"You don't take notes, the quill does for you!" Draco said.

"Well they're still getting done," I pointed out. He scowled.

"How do you even do that anyways?" He asked.

"It's a difficult charm my mum taught me. She uses it for cooking but it's equally useful for notes," I said. Draco suddenly stared at me with wide puppy eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"Can you teach it to me?" He pleaded.

"If you pass this next test with at least an A I'll teach it to you," I said. He pouted.

"That's not even possible!" He said harshly.

"You're just doubting yourself, Draco," I insisted.

"I'm not as clever as you or Aaron," Draco said softly, going back to do his homework. I sighed and put my assignment aside.

"What you lack is self confidence, not brains. Anyone has the brain capacity for Alchemy. But no one attempts it because they listen to everyone who says it's difficult," I said. Draco thought about it.

"I suppose if I actually made myself feel like I knew the material then maybe I might do better," he said.

"That's the spirit!" I said. Draco smiled then his expression dropped. He looked down at his watch.

"Shit! I have Quidditch practice in ten minutes!" He said.

I waved my wand and his stuff and mine were put neatly away in our backpacks. He thanked me and sprinted away, the suddenly stopped and ran back.

"Would you come see me practice? You watch Potter and Weasley-"

"Of course," I said with a laugh. He smiled and turned back and sprinted away. I calmly made my way down to the pitch.

I can't say the captains Graham Montague and Adrian Pucey were too pleased to see Draco arrive tardy, but they didn't reprimand him. I decided Graham and Adrian were some of the nicer Slytherins.

Draco did his drills by himself since there was no other Seeker. The Slytherin team seemed to practice playing dirty and I didn't fancy that too much but at least Draco practiced decently. I really hoped he wasn't as foul of Quidditch player anymore like Harry had said he was.

I admired Draco's confidence in Quidditch. Perhaps if he channeled that into Alchemy, he'd do loads better. He flew as if he knew he'd never fall. He caught the Snitch and released it, never appearing frustrated if he missed it, simply trying harder each time.

I did a bit of homework as I watched him practice. Pansy Parkinson and the goons showed up at one point and I was afraid they'd start talking to me and cause a scene but they didn't.

When Draco finished practicing, he flew over to me straight away.

"How was it?" He asked, sweaty profusely.

"It was great. You should probably take a shower though," I said, offering him my cup of water. He took it and chugged the whole thing down, handing me back an empty cup.

"Thanks for coming to watch me," he said, smiling.

"Thanks for being nicer even if your friends are here. I like you better that way. It means you smile more, and when you smile you look happy," I said. Draco got a bit red but simply smiled again.

"Maybe I'll try and smile more. My mother also thinks I should," he said. He then flew down to hit the showers.

When I was walking back to the castle, Pansy Parkinson ran up to meet me.

"Think you're so special, talking with Draco like you're his friend?" She spat.

"He is my friend. And you're not," I said flatly.

"He doesn't really like you! He's MY boyfriend," she said.

"Don't know why he'd want to be that," I said. She huffed loudly.

"You're just jealous you're an ugly nerd and are stuck to date the rest of your lot," she said.

"I pity you, Pansy. Not only do you think you're in Draco's league, but you actually think he'd date you," I said, not even bothering to look at her.

"He is dating me! Ask him! He wants nothing to do with you, Romano," she said tartly.

"That's awesome, I'll give him the message. I doubt he'll confirm anything," I said, walking forward and leaving an angry Pansy Parkinson behind. Honestly, I don't know why I bothered to respond to bee obscenities. I think I rather liked making her angry.

When there was only a week left until the Slytherin and Gryffindor match, I noticed the Transfiguration homework died down by a lot. Later Harry and Ron told me that McGonagall was just as much of a Quidditch fanatic as them.

On the flipside, so was Snape. He had booked the pitch for the Slytherins for almost the entire week and I had to beg Adrian Pucey to shorten his practices. He said he'd shorten it by an hour to give Gryffindor that time if I helped him pass Charms. Done deal, although Draco wasn't too pleased that now our study sessions involved Adrian.

The tension was building up between the teams. On Tuesday, Keeper Miles Bletchley put a hex on Alicia Spinnet that left her with such thick eyebrows she needed to go to the Hospital Wing. Snape pushed the blame on her despite there being about ten witnesses that saw him do it.

On Wednesday, Chaser Cassius Warrington tried to hex Fred and George behind their backs but Seo Jin and Celeste caught him and made antlers grow out of his head. They got House Points taken away of course but they said it was worth it.

On Thursday, I walked into the Potions classroom and saw Beater Gregory Goyle brewing a potion. I started making my own potion nearby him and noticed he was making a potion with duck guts, which when used in any potion will upset ones stomach for up to three weeks when drunk. I slipped in some griffin blood to make the potion completely useless. It would look and taste just like water and have no effects whatsoever on anyone. Goyle clearly wasn't a potions master. Because he didn't notice.

On Friday nothing really bad happened, except Pansy Parkinson caught up to us in the hall.

"Hey Potty! I heard Warrington's sworn to knock you off your broom on Saturday," she said, glaring at me and smirking as if she'd really beaten Harry.

"Warrington's aim is so pathetic I'd be more worried if he was aiming for the person next to me," Harry retorted. Hermione, Ron, and I burst out laughing and Pansy stormed away.

Later that day, Warrington himself came up to us.

"Hey Weasley, got your bed booked in the Hospital Wing yet?" He asked tauntingly. Ron wasn't responding to I snapped back.

"Got your spot in the remedial classes ready for you, Warrington?" I asked. He had scowled and walked away, leading to me receiving a high five from Harry.

Ron seemed very nervous so I brewed him a Draught of Peace to soothe him. It seemed to make it better but I could tell he was still feeling unprepared.

I'd questioned Draco about him and Pansy's relationship afterward. He confirmed they weren't dating and actually said Pansy was the last person on the planet that he'd date. I felt very satisfied hearing that.

Tomorrow for the game I think maybe I'll do what Luna's doing and go full out Gryffindor. A little part of me wants to root for Slytherin though for Draco. I don't think I will, it won't help Ron with his nervousy.


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione lent me one of her Gryffindor sweaters and I created copies of it for Seo Jin and Celeste to wear. Luna decided instead to just wear red and a life sized lion head as a hat. Not judging but it was a bit much.

Seo Jin wanted to make a poster since I told her about how nervous Ron was. We made one for every member of the Gryffindor team, simply their last names and their numbers. We had three that said Weasley of course, and Celeste said we only needed one but I insisted on giving everyone a poster.

I made a poster for Draco too, because that's what any good friend would do. I planned to hold that one, while Seo Jin held George's, Celeste held Fred's, Hermione held Ron's, Cho held Harry's, Aaron held Angelina's, Terry held Alicia's, and Anthony held Katie's. Gideon had said he was already planning to wave Gryffindor banners with his friends so he wasn't included.

I used some gold and red paint to make war lines on our cheeks and put a charm that make them have glitter on it. I made my sneakers red to match the sweater and just like that, we were off to breakfast and then to watch the game.

Ron was very pleased to see we'd made posters and Hermione was praising Seo Jin for having the idea. Harry was proud to hear that Cho volunteered to hold his sign.

Ron was still pretty nervous and wasn't really eating so I coaxed him into at least finishing half his breakfast before Harry led him away.

I decided to get a heard start so we could have good seats. As soon as I exited the Great Hall, I was stopped by Draco.

"You didn't have to make me a sign," he said.

"Who said I made you a sign?" I inquired.

"You're holding one. And I know your writing," he said. I huffed and frowned. He smirked.

"Thanks for the support," he said. I smiled and shrugged.

"What are friends for?" I asked. Draco then became serious.

"Listen Jules, I get very temperamental during Quidditch, I'm probably going to be angry for awhile afterwards-"

"I don't need explanations. Just try and be nice. Ron's nervous enough as it is," I said. Draco hesitated to say more then he just smiled and walked away.

When he left, the rest of my gang had come to join me. Together we went to the stands to cheer on our team. The match was set to begin.

"Captains shake hands," Madame Hooch instructed.

Graham and Angelina shook hands.

"Mount your brooms..." Madame Hooch then blew the whistle.

Seo Jin and I cheered loudly as Lee Jordan began his commentary.

"And it's Johnson, Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, I've been saying it for years but she still won't go out with me-" Lee was saying before McGonagall interrupted him.

"JORDAN!"

"Just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest--and she's ducked Warrington, she's passed Montague, she's- ouch been hit by a Bludger from Crabbe....Montague catches the Quaffle, Montague heading back up the pitch-and nice Bludger there from George Weasley, that's a Bludger to the head for Montague- he drops the Quaffle, caught by Katie Bell, Katie Bell of Gryffindor reverse passes to Alicia Spinnet and Spinnet's away-"

"Go Gryffindor!" I screamed loudly, waving wildly at Ron who was looking nervously at the stands. He waved back, clearly still anxious.

The Slytherins had started chanting something I couldn't quite make out.

"-dodges Warrington, avoids a Bludger-close call, Alicia-and the crowd are loving this, just listen to them, what's that they're singing?"

I listened closely and realized it wasn't a song for Slytherin, it was about Ron.

"Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring,

That's why Slytherins all sing:

Weasley is our King.  
  


Weasley was born in a bin,

He always let's the Quaffle in,

Weasley will make sure we win,

Weasley is out King."

"Those prats!" Celeste snarled as she turned to the Slytherin section.

"Your singing sucks!" She yelled. They just sang louder. Pansy Parkinson made a stupid face.

"-and Alicia passes back to Angelina! Come on now Angelina-looks like she's got the Keeper to beat-SHE SHOOTS SHE-ahh..."

Miles Bletchley blocked the goal and threw it to Warrington, who sped off and zigzagged in between Alicia and Angelina to where Ron was waiting.

"Cmon Ron!" I yelled as Hermione shook his sign furiously in the air.

"Weasley is our King,

Weasley is our King,

He always lets the Quaffle in,

Weasley is our King."

"GO RON! GO RON!" Seo Jin and I screamed at the top of our lungs.

"--and it's Warrington with the Quaffle, Warrington heading for the goal, he's out of Bludger range with the Keeper just ahead--"

"Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring..."

"-so it's the first test for new Gryffindor Keeper, Weasley, brother of Beaters Fred and George, and a promising new talent on the team--come on Ron!"

"CMON RON!" I screamed.

"YOU CAN DO IT!" Celeste bellowed. Hermione kept shaking the sign, watching anxiously. Luna was jumping around wildly, all of us waiting for what would happen next.

Ron dived wildly when Warrington made his shot. He missed.

"Slytherin score! So that's ten-nil to Slytherin--bad luck, Ron..."

The Slytherin team booed and started singing even louder.

"WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN,

HE ALWAYS LET'S THE QUAFFLE IN.."

"-and Gryffindor back in posession and it's Katie Bell tanking up the pitch-"

"WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN,

WEASLEY IS OUR KING.."

"Harry WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET GOING!" Angelina was screaming at Harry who was just hovering there on his broom. I noticed Draco was doing quick, low and high laps around the pitch, looking.

"Go Draco!" I yelled as he passed by. He smirked and waved at me. Then the Slytherins saw him and raised the volume of their voices.

"WEASLEY IS OUR KING,

WEASLEY IS OUR KING.."

"SHUT UP!" Celeste yelled. Seo Jin grabbed a cup she found and threw it into the Slytherin stands. It hit someone on the head.

"WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN..."

"--and it's Warrington again, who passes to Pucey, Pucey's off past Spinnet, come on now Angeline you cam take him-turns out you can't but nice Bludger from Fred Weasley, I mean, George Weasley, oh who cares, one of them anyways, and Warrington drops the Quaffle and Katie Bell--er--drops it too--so that's Montague with the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Montague takes the Quaffle, and he's off up the pitch, come on now Gryffindor block him!" Lee yelled into the microphone.

I looked up at both Keepers and saw Bletchley singing.

"You suck Merlin's testicles, Bletchley!" I yelled. He heard me and flipped me off. Draco, who had been flying by, heard and started laughing.

"WEASLEY CANNOT SAVE A THING.."

"--and Pucey's dodged Alicia again, and he's heading straight for the goal, stop it Ron!"

Ron wasn't able to block it.

"THAT'S WHY SLYTHERINS ALL SING:

WEASLEY IS OUR KING."

"COME ON RON!" I yelled. Seo Jin was screaming and jumping with Luna now and Celeste had begun cheering on the twins.

Ron unfortunately let in two more goals. I noticed Angelina and Katie were devastated, and Alicia was starting to lose confidence.

"-and Katie Bell of Gryffindor dodged Pucey, ducks Montague, nice swerve Katie, and she throws to Johnson, Angelina Johnson takes the Quaffle, she's past Warrington, she's heading for the goal, come on now Angelina--GRYFFINDOR SCORE! It's forty-ten, forty-ten Slytherin and Pucey has the Quaffle..."

"GO GRYFFINDOR!" I screamed.

"GRYFFINDOR, GRYFFINDOR!" Seo Jin and Celeste chanted. I noticed Gideon had come up to sit with us and was helping Celeste hold her sign.

"-Pucey throws to Warrington- Warrington to Montague- Montague back to Pucey --Johnson intervenes, Johnson tales the Quaffle, Johnson to Bell, this looks good--I mean bad--Bell's hit by a Bludger from Goyle of Slytherin and Pucey in posession again..."

"WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN,

HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN,

WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN--"

Harry dived down. I noticed Draco went after him. I knew right away they'd seen the Snitch.

They were neck and neck, Draco made a mad grasp for the Snitch but Harry dived upward and caught the Snitch and them BAM!

I screamed as a Bludger hit Harry in the back and he was catapulted off his broom.

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Lee Jordan yelled. Seo Jin and Celeste went wild, but Hermione and I ran off onto the field.

"Are you alright?!" Angeline screamed at Harry when we arrived.

"'Course I am," Harry said grimly.

"It wad that thug, Crabbe. He hit the Bludger towards you the moment he saw you'd gotten the Snitch. But we won Harry, we won!" Angelina shrieked.

I ran forward and hugged Harry.

"You did amazing!" I said.

Draco landed next to me.

"And you did amazing too," I said, hugging him. Draco didn't hug back and he didn't smile, he just stared at Harry angrily.

"Draco," I warned. He stared at me and shook his head.

"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you? I've never seen a worse Keeper. But then, he was born in a bin...Did you like my lyrics Potter?" Draco sneered.

"YOUR lyrics?" I snapped. He ignored me.

"We wanted to write a couple of verses! But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly, we wanted to sing about his mother, see," Draco said.

"Draco!" I cried.

"We couldn't fit useless loser either--for his father, you know--"

The twins had noticed what Draco was talking about. They came over.

"Draco you need to stop right now," I said.

"No I don't," he snarled. I lunged forward and pressed my hands onto his chest, almost pushing him back.

"Need a girl to hold you back, Malfoy?" Fred snapped as he came over.

"Not helping!" I snarled at him. Draco breathed in deeply. I felt his heart beating rapidly. He was about to say something he was going to regret.

"--but you like the Weasley's don't you Potter? Spend holidays there and everything don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles and even Weasley's hovel smells okay..."

"I'm warning you, Draco," I said, pushing him away.

"Get off me, Jules!" He snapped.

"No!" I snarled, pushing him further. He ignored me and went back to addressing Harry.

"Or perhaps, you can remember what YOUR mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasley's pigsty remind you of it-"

"HARRY, GEORGE, NO!" Angelina screamed.

In seconds, Harry and George had launched themselves at Draco, Angelina having held Fred back. Draco's eyes widened and he grabbed me and pushed me out of the way so I wouldn't get hit. I landed hard on the ground and screamed as my ankle cracked loudly.

The girls around us were screaming and Harry and George were cursing and punching, Draco trying to fight back.

I got up and nearly screamed but ran and grabbed George's shirt, trying to pull him off as he punched Draco in the face.

"STOP IT, STOP IT!" I screamed.

The teachers were all there now.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" Madame Hooch yelled. Harry and George flew backwards and landed on top of me, causing me to scream in pain.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? I'VE NEVER SEEN BEHAVIOR LIKE IT--BACK UP TO THE CASTLE, BOTH OF YOU AND STRAIGHT TO YOUR HEAD OF HOUSE'S OFFICE!" Madame Hooch yelled at Harry and George. George got off me and I groaned as Harry grabbed my arms and lifted me up. I tried to stand but screamed and collapsed again, clutching my ankle.

Harry and George trudged away to the castle. Draco got up and wiped the blood off his face.

"I told you not to!" I yelled as he bent down and picked me up. I started hitting him so he could put me down.

"Shut up and just let me at least take you to the Hospital Wing," he snapped, carrying me to the castle.

"I'm not going to shut up," I snarled.

"Suit yourself! I can drop you anywhere and leave you to crawl back on your own. I dare you to try and make it without fainting. Have you even LOOKED at your ankle?" Draco asked furiously. I looked down and saw it was bent at a horrible angle. It made me feel sick and a wave of nausea hit me. I huffed and closed my mouth tightly.

"That's what I thought," Draco said flatly. I stayed silent as he continued to carry me to the Hospital Wing.

Madame Pomfrey fixed us both up immediately.

"I can't believe you did that," I spat.

"I did tell you I was temperamental! Potter thinks catching the Snitch can make up for Weasley sucking so bad-"

"He's nervous and that's thanks to your bloody housemates!" I snapped, "and you didn't have to make that awful song! How long have you been rehearsing it? I feel betrayed that the whole time I was helping you study you were directing a bloody choir to ruin the game for him!"

Draco looked stern then suddenly burst out laughing.

"What the hell is so funny?" I snarled.

"Directing a bloody choir, oh that was a good one Jules," he said, tears of laughter running down his cheeks. I balled my fists up tightly in anger and felt blood start to seep out. I opened my hand and saw the blood seeping out.

"Jules!" Draco said, grabbing the bedsheets and wrapping my hands in them.

"Are you mental? Are you trying to kill yourself?" He asked, taking his wand out and urging the blood back into my hands.

"That happens when I'm angry," I said flatly, staring at him coldly.

"What, you try and bleed out? Remember last time?" He asked angrily.

"I don't do it on purpose you idiot, It's my natural instinct to ball my fists up so I won't murder someone!" I snapped. Draco stared at me.

"You're angry at me and I get that. I don't care if you don't ever want to speak to me again," Draco said fiercely.

"Well I told you to be kind and you weren't! You aren't even trying! I keep coming back to you as a friend even after you keep messing up and I don't know how much longer this will go on, Draco! I'm sick of it! You don't need to be such a prick just because you're some rich spoiled Slytherin boy who Harry Potter didn't want to be friends with!" I snapped. I instantly covered my mouth and my eyes widened. Draco merely stared at me.

"Well you're one to talk. Your attitude is the absolute worst of anyone I've ever met, your bad temper makes you seem like a small spoiled child, and you've got glitter all over your face. You look like you went to box the Whomping Willow," he said. I gaped at him.

"But you're right. I should do better if I'm trying to keep you as a friend. I'm sorry," he said. I noticed his expression had softened.

"I want you to apologize to Harry, Ron, and the twins," I said slowly. Draco stared at me like I was mental. Then he scowled and looked down.

"Fine," he said.

Madame Pomfrey released us and we went straight to the Great Hall. Harry and the team were talking. When they saw Draco and I walking up, they looked angry.

"Draco has something to say," I said, pinching his arm. He scowled at me.

"I'm sorry Potter. I'm sorry Weasleys," he said. He stared at me then trudged away.

"You got Malfoy to apologizs?" Angelina asked incredulously.

"I called him a rich spoiled and brought up how Harry didn't want to be friends with him first year, according to what I was told," I said. Hermione snickered.

"Anyways what happened?" I asked. Angelina's face turned serious.

"Harry, Fred, and George have received a lifetime Quidditch ban!" She said. My mouth dropped open.

"Fred didn't even do anything!" I cried.

"Only because Angelina held me back," he said grimly.

"That's so bloody unfair!" I said angrily.

Harry and Hermione decided to just go cool off. I followed them to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Ron's avoiding us," I noticed. Ron was turned away from us in his armchair. We went over to him.

"I'm sorry," Ron said.

"For what?" Harry asked.

"For thinking I could play Quidditch. I'm resigning in the morning," Ron said.

"You can't do that! Then Gryffindor will only have three members!" I said. Ron's eyes widened.

"What?" He asked.

"Your brothers and I got a lifetime ban from Quidditch," Harry said miserably. I winced when he said it. Ron looked completely crestfallen.

"This is all my fault," Ron said.

"You didn't make me punch Malfoy," Harry said.

"If I wasn't so lousy at Quidditch-"

"It's got nothing to do with that," I snapped at him.

"It was that song that wound me up-"

"It would've wound anyone up!" Harry protested.

"Drop it, will you Ron?" I spat, "It's bad enough without you blaming yourself for everything!"

"This is the worst I've ever felt in my life," Ron groaned.

"Join the club," Harry sighed.

"Well I know what'll make you feel better," Hermione said.

"A nice long back massage is what you two need," I said. Hermione shook her head.

"Hagrid's back," she said.

I ran to join her at the window. Looking down I saw the little hut below had lights on inside.

"Well what are we waiting for?" I asked.

In an instant, Harry came back with his Invisibility Cloak and what I think was the Marauders Map he told me about. Together we walked out of the common room to meet Hagrid.


	15. Chapter 15

Long story short Hagrid and Madame Maxime had a REALLY rough time with the giants in the moutains.

Hagrid was very kind, although I felt sad knowing Umbride wouldn't want to keep him around. Hermione had tried to plan his lessons but he didn't listen. From what they told me, his thestrals lesson was inspected and it went horrible. Pansy Parkinson made some sort of scene against Hagrid that made me feel like punching her.

Harry later confided in me that he had been freaked out shen he learned about the thestrals.

"I feel sad when I think of it. The only reason I can see them is because I saw Cedric die," Harry said.

"I'd be able to see them too. I saw my grandparents die at the hospital," I said. Harry sighed.

"Hermione said earlier she wishes she could see them," he said. I gasped.

"She didn't!" I said.

"Yeah I felt bad when I asked if she really wanted to and she started apologizing but it was just awkward because I wish I couldn't see them," he said. I frowned.

"Then your Slytherin friend came and asked Ron if he's see the Quaffle better if he saw someone snuff it," Harry said. I groaned and face palmed myself.

Christmas was coming up quickly so I snuck out to Hogsmeade extra early one weekend to buy presents. I got Harry and Ron a black jacket and had their surnames engraved on the back of each one, with the Gryffindor crest on the left side near the chest area. I got Hermione three French translated to English Muggle books I knew she's enjoy. I got Celeste a dress I'd seen her looking at the past couple of trips and I got Seo Jin a new set of colored sparkly ink since we used it all up on the posters because we didn't have enough paint for them. I even got Draco a gift, another Alchemy based novel called Out of Prison, where a girl that can control Fire is put in a mental asylum and is freed by a boy who can control Water. They escape to the woods and are constantly fleeing the law and end up locked up and use their powers to escape but ultimately end up being murderd by the government. It's really sad but it's very very good.

Before going away for the Holidays, Harry decided we should have another DA Meeting.

I was walking to the meeting with Luna when we ran into Harry.

"Hello," I said brightly.

"Hey Luna, hey Jules," he said. We entered the Room of Requirement.

"Oh look, mistletoe," Luna said in a dreamy voice. Harry and I jumped out from under it. Luna laughed then turned serious.

"Good thinking. It's often infested with nargles," she said. I'd learned not to ask about nargles.

Angelina, Alicia, and Katie ran in, nearly trampling Luna and I.

"We replaced you!" Angelina announced to Harry.

"That's harsh," I said with a wince. Katie giggled.

"With who?" Harry asked.

"Ginny Weasley. She's pretty good," Angelina said.

"Beaters are Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper," Alicia said.

"They're not very bright," Katie recalled, "but the others were worse." I winced.

"Tough season," I sighed. Angelina nodded and threw Harry a dirty look.

"Hey," I said threateningly. She simply walked away, the other girls following her.

"Okay," Harry began, "I thought this evening we should just go over things we've done so far because it's the last meeting before the holiday and there's no point in starting anything new before the three week break-"

"We're not doing anything new? If I'd know that, I wouldn't have come," Zacharias said.

"We didn't want you anyways," I snapped.

"Yeah. And we're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," Fred said. Cho burst out laughing.

"We can practice in pairs," Harry said, "we'll start with the Impediment Jinx, just for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."

Celeste and I practiced then basically just ended up talking.

"So are you and Gideon talking more?" I asked, blocking her jinx.

"Yes actually, he sat next to me in Divination the other day even though he normally sits with Anthony," she said. I smirked.

"Do you reckon he likes you?" I asked.

"Maybe as a friend," she said.

"Well there's mistletoe by the doorway I think maybe you could snog him today," I said with a wink. Celeste gaped at me. Then she grinned.

"Only if you snog Draco first!" She said. I snorted.

"As if I would!" I said.

"Oh Jules it's obvious he likes you! You should've seen the way he looked when he carries you to the Hospital Wing. He was so worried about you," Celeste said. I rolled my eyes.

"Draco can't feel emotions," I said flatly.

"Yes he can! You two are always talking and laughing in Charms and you play hangman with him all the time in Defense!" She said. I sighed and shook my head.

"We're just friends, Celeste. Meanwhile you and Gideon-"

"I'm not going to snog him!" She said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you dare even suggest it!" She hissed. I shrugged and began walking to Anthony and Gideon.

"Anthony, let me talk to you for a bit," I said.

"What for?" He asked.

"I want to tell you about the Giant Wars," I said sarcastically, pulling him aside.

"Does Gideon fancy Celeste?" I asked. Anthony looked taken aback.

"You wanted to ask me that? Of course he does, isn't it obvious?"

"Well I don't spend all my time gawking at Gideon like every other girl does."

"Well I'd think it were still pretty obvious."

"And do you fancy Seo Jin?" I asked.

"Yes! That should've been a obvious too!" Anthony said.

"Well fine. Now Celeste can snog Gideon and you can snog Seo Jin," I said flatly, turning away.

I went to practice with Luna. We began to practice Stunning now and we were having fun falling back onto the cushions.

"I really hope there aren't nargles in these. We keep falling on them," Luna said.

"The nargles would leave if they were there. They'd be crushed," I said. Luna smiled and nodded. Then she began to tall about nargles.

When the hour finished, Harry blew the whistle.

"You're all getting really good. When we get back from holiday we can start doing some of the big stuff- maybe even Patronuses," Harry said.

"Ooh!" Luna trilled. Her Patronus was probably a nargle.

Luna and I left after that. I noticed Celeste and Gideon were leaving together and a smirk crept onto my face when Gideon pointed the mistletoe out to her. They better have snogged.

I went to hang out with Hermione and Ron in the Gryffindor Common Room. I finished up my homework from yesterday and curled up on the couch.

Awhile later, Harry came in looking dazed.

"What happened to you?" I inquired.

"Is it Cho?" Hermione asked. My eyes widened.

"Did she corner you after the meeting?" I asked excitedly.

Harry nodded, still dazed. Hermione and I exchanged smirks.

"Well what did she want?" Ron asked.

"She er...she er..." Harry began. I looked at Hermione and rolled my eyes. Boy.

"Did you kiss?" I asked.

Ron stared at us then quickly back at Harry, who nodded. Ron and I whooped. He threw himself on the floor, punching the air and rolling on the rug. Hermione looked at him with disgust and went back to whatever she was doing. Ron then sat up.

"Well, how was it?" He asked.

"Wet," Harry said.

Ron and I looked at each other and scrunched up or noses. I stared at Harry, wondering if I heard wrong.

"Because she was crying," Harry added. I gasped.

"Merlin Harry, are you that bad at kissing?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Dunno. Maybe I am," Harry said solemnly.

"Of course you're not," Hermione said. Ron stared at her like she was mental.

"How do you know?" Ron asked sharply. I raised an eyebrow at him and he flushed red.

"Because Cho spends half her time crying these days," Hermione said.

"Oh yes she does it at mealtimes, in the loo, all over the place!" I added.

"You'd think a bit of kissing would cheer her up," Ron said with a grin.

"Ron, you are the most insensitive wart I've ever had to meet," Hermione said. I snorted and covered my mouth to hide my laughter. Ron looked like he'd been attacked.

"What's that supposed to mean? What sort of person cries when someone's kissing them?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, who does?" Harry added.

"Don't you two understand how Cho's feeling at the moment?" I asked.

"Well obviously, she's feeling very sad because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best," Hermione said.

"Exactly. Then she'll feel guilty about it because she could consider it an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all. She's obviously going to worry about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. She cares a lot about that, you know," I said.

"And on top of that, she probably can't work out her feelings with Harry anyways because he was the one with Cedric when he died, so that's all mixed up and painful," Hermione said.

"Oh and she's afraid she might get kicked off the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team because she's been flying so badly," I added. Ron and Harry gaped at us.

"One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode!" Ron said.

"Just because you've got the motional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," Hermione snapped, turning back to her writing.

"She was the one who started it. I wouldn't have- she just sort of came to me and next thing she's crying all over me, I didn't know what to do!" Harry protested.

"Don't blame you mate," Ron said.

"You just had to be nice to her, you were, weren't you?" Hermione asked.

"I patted her on the back a bit," Harry said.

"Well I suppose it could've been worse. You're going to see her again right?" I asked.

"I'll have to, won't I? We've got DA meetings-"

"You know what she meant," Hermione said. Harry was quiet.

"Oh well, you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask her," Hermione said.

"What id he doesn't want to ask her?" Ron asked.

"That'd be absurd! Hermione told me you've liked her for ages, Harry!" I said.

Harry didn't answer again. I sighed.

"Who are you writing that novel to anyway?" Ron asked Hermione.

"Viktor," she said.

"KRUM?" Ron asked. She scowled at him.

"How many other Viktor's do we know?" She asked, clearly irritated. She sad goodnight and went upstairs.

"What does she see in him?" Ron asked.

"Well I suppose he's older, and he's an international Quidditch player," I said.

"Yeah but apart from that, I mean he's a grouchy git, isn't he?" Ron asked.

"Bit grouchy, yeah," Harry said.

Both boys looked at me.

"What?" I inquired.

"Do you think Krum is attractive?"

"No, he's too buff," I said, scrunching up my nose. Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're the only girl I've ever met who's said that! You're my new favorite," Ron said.

"Gee thanks," I muttered, laying down on the couch.

"You crashing here tonight?" Harry asked.

"Yep," I said, curling into a ball.

"Well night," he said.

"Night," Ron said, waving at me.

"Night," I yawned, drifting off into sleep.

Soon I was having a rather strange dream.

Seo Jin and Celeste and I were climbing a mountain in the Alphs and we found a new creature that had a duck bill and the body of a hippopotamus. We became famous for that and then I learned how to fly using Alchemy. Then Celeste told me that she and Gideon had ten children and Seo Jin said she and Anthony had twenty, to which I responded with "I have 0 children" and they told me I was going to turn into a parrot if I didn't have at least thirty kids.

Yelling woke me up.

"HARRY! HARRY!" I heard Ron yelling. I bolted out of the couch and ran upstairs to the boys dorm.

"HARRY!" Ron yelled again.

I arrived just as Harry rolled off the bed and vomited.

"Oh Merlin!" I screamed. He was deathly pale.

"He's really ill! Should we call someone?" Neville asked frantically.

"Harry! Harry!" I cried.

Harry gasped for air and grabbed onto the mattress, pulling himself up onto the bed.

"Harry talk to us!" I wailed.

"Your dad," he croaked to Ron.

"And your mum," he gasped at me. My heart jumped.

"They've been attacked," Harry groaned. My eyes got wide.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Your dad and your mum! They were both bitten, it's serious, there was a lot of blood everywhere," Harry said.

"I'm going for help," Neville said as he ram out. Seamus and Dean were staring at Harry fearfully.

"Harry mate, it was just a dream," Ron said.

"No! It wasn't a dream, not an ordinary dream, I was there, I did it!" Harry said. I gasped and felt my heart thumping hard inside my chest.

"Harry you're not well," I said softly, "Neville's gone for help."

"I'm fine! There're nothing wrong with me," Harry said, choking on his saliva, "it's your parents you've got to worry about, we need to find where they are, they were bleeding like mad! I was...it was a huge snake!" Harry cried.

He moved but I lunged forward and pushed him back. Finally after what seemed like ages, Neville and Professor McGonagall came in. She stared at me for a minute then turned to Harry.

"What is it Potter? Where does it hurt?" She asked.

"It's Ron's dad and Jules' mum! They've been attacked by a snake and it's serious, I saw it happen!" Harry cried.

I couldn't take it anymore. I burst into tears and sat down on the floor. Ron put his arms around me as I sobbed loudly.

"What do you mean you saw it happen?" McGonagall asked.

"I don't know, I was asleep and then I was there," Harry said.

"You mean you dreamed this?" She asked.

"No!" Harry shouted. I flinched and started crying even more.

"I was having a dream at first about something completely different, something stupid, and then this interrupted it. It was REAL and I didn't imagine it. Mr Weasley was asleep on the floor and Miss Romano was walking toward him and then they were both attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, she and him collapsed and Miss Romano didn't move at all, someone's got to find out where they are!" Harry said. I wailed loudly and sobbed into Ron's shirt. He pressed me tightly against him. I don't know if that was meant to muffle my cries, comfort me, or suffocate me.

"I'm not lying and i'm not mad! I tell you, I saw it happen!" Harry said, looking at Ron and I.

"I believe you Potter. Put on your dressing gown. We're going to see the headmaster," McGonagall said.


	16. Chapter 16

I was trembling by the time we arrived at Grimmauld Place. Sirius was there to meet us.

"What's happened?" He asked frantically.

"Yeah I want to hear this for mysefl!" George said.

I was no longer crying but I felt like it.

Harry told us his story again, but he left out the part of being the snake. It didn't make me feel better.

"Is Mum here?" Fred asked.

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," Sirius said, "the important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore is letting Molly know now."

I shivered.

"We've go to go to St Mungos," I said.

"Yes! Sirius can you lend us cloaks or anything?" Ginny asked.

"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St Mungos!" Sirius said.

"Our parents are in there!" I protested.

"And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?" Sirius asked.

"I don't have a dad I'd be the only person to be contacted, thank you very much!" I said sharply.

"And what does it even matter?" George asked.

"It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry had this vision. Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that?" Sirius asked hotly.

"Well somebody else could have told us. We could have heard it anywhere else!" Fred said.

"Like who?" Sirius demanded.

None of us suggested anyone.

"Listen, your parents were hurt while on duty for the Order. Circumstances are fishy enough without children knowing about it seconds after its happened, you could seriously damage the Order's-"

"To hell with the Order!" I cried.

"Our parents are dying!" George bellowed.

"Your parents knew what they were getting into, and they won't thank you for messing things up for the Order! This is how it is, this is why you're not in the Order, you don't understand- there are things worth dying for!" Sirius said.

"Easy for you to say," Fred spat, "I don't see you risking your neck."

Sirius just sighed.

"I know it's hard but we've got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?" Sirius said to Fred. He and George huffed.

Sirius summoned some Butterbeer. I drank all of mine but I still felt like shit.

Fawkes arrived later with a letter from Molly Weasley.

George read it aloud.

"Dad is still alive. I'm setting out for St Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum. There's a message for you at the bottom, Jules," George said softly. I snatched the note from him and read it.

I fainted.

When I woke up, I was sitting on the couch in the living room of Grimmauld Place with a wet rag over my head. Ginny was curled up next to me, still awake. On the opposite sofa were Harry and Ron, dozed off. George was sleeping in an armchair but Fred simply sat in his. He and Ginny noticed I was awake.

"You ok, Jules?" Fred asked. My throat felt hoarse. I shook my head. I looked at the table and saw the note. I grabbed it, and read it and reread it.

Molly Weasley had written: "Dear Juliana, I'm glad my sons and daughter have met you and that you've become their friend. I'm eager to meet you. I don't know how to tell you this, sweetheart. When I got word of what happened, they told me right away that your mother didn't make it. I'm so sorry, Juliana."

I burst into tears. Ginny quickly sat up and Fred came over. Then sat on either side of me and hugged me tightly.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye," I wailed, trying to be at least quiet to not wake anyone up.

I cried for a long while. Eventually Ginny and Fred helped me fall asleep, but I just felt so empty I didn't care if I died from a lack of sleep.

When I was a little girl my mother had told me that my father died doing the right thing. She said I would miss him forever, but he'd never truly be gone. Now that she was gone, I didn't know what to do.

Sirius called us for breakfast in the morning. I felt like a zombie, not wanting to eat.

Sirius pulled me aside afterward.

"I'm so sorry, Jules," he said.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault," I said quietly. Sirius breathed in deeply.

"If I had known what was going to happen, I never would have let her go. I was really starting to like her," Sirius said.

"You don't have to hide it. I could tell from the way you spoke about her. You two were dating," I said. Sirius stared at the floor.

"I'm not mad or anything, it's not like my mum was being disrespectful to my dad," I said. Sirius gulped a bit.

"Yeah," he said. I looked at him.

"Do you know how he really died?" I asked. He nodded and I gasped.

"My mum never told me the real story. She said she'd tell me when I graduated. Now she won't see that..." I said, sniffling.

"Your mum told me that he was in charge of protecting the village. Single handedly, can you imagine? You Know Who killed him when he tried to save Harry's parents," Sirius said. I felt like I was going to faint again. I looked at Sirius in the eyes.

"Can you adopt me? We have no family and if my godmother adopted me she'd send me back to that god awful school," I said. Sirius was taken aback but he nodded.

"It's the least I could do," he whispered. I burst into tears again.

Later when Molly Weasley arrived I cried again. She hugged me for a long time and I tried to make it as though I was in my mother's arms, but that only made me miss her more.

We went to St Mungo's right after.

Mr Weasley told me that my mother had been very brave in accepting the mission. She had saved him from worse bites from the snake my shielding him. Despite feeling proud of her, I felt like she was stupid. Why would she do that? They both could have lived.

When we went back to Grimmauld Place, Harry and I locked ourselves in one of the bedrooms.

"I feel like I've not only been violated by Voldemort, but that I've succeeded in being accepted into the mental ward," Harry said glumly.

"I'm an orphan now. Both of my parents died doing the Order's dirty work. I hate my life," I said.

Later Hermione arrived and simply wouldn't leave us alone.

"How're you feeling?" She asked.

"Fine," Harry replied.

"Lovely," I said stiffly.

"Don't lie you two! Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St Mungo's," Hermione said.

Harry was unhappy.

"They do, don't they?" He asked.

"Well you have! And you won't look at anyone but Jules because she's acting the same way as you!" Ginny said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped.

Ginny ignored me. Harry huffed.

"It's you lot who won't look at us!" Harry protested.

"Maybe you're taking turns looking at each other and keep missing," Hermione said.

"That's hilarious," I spat.

"Very witty, Hermione," Harry said.

"Oh stop feeling all misunderstood!" Hermione said, arguing with Harry about something he heard over the Extendable Ears. I drifted into an abyss only I knew. My own little world with both of my parents. Millie was there too, and here at Grimmauld Place. Sirius had brought her.

"Well that was a bit stupid of you," I heard Ginny say, "seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You Know Who and I can tell you how it feels," Ginny said.

Harry and her then started bickering. I groaned and closed my eyes. Calm, calm, I needed calm, I needed to be alone too but then again I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts. I swear if I ended up alone I was going to just kill myself.

Christmas wasn't so Merry. When I woke up I went straight to Harry and Ron's room to sleep a bit more with company, except the twins were in there.

"Oh Jules. Don't go downstairs for a bit," George said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Mum's crying again. Percy sent back his Christmas jumper," Fred said.

"Without a note. Didn't even ask how Dad is," George said.

"We tried to comfort her, we said Percy's nothing more than a humongous pile of rat droppings-"

"Didn't work, so Lupin took over. Better let him cheer her up before breakfast."

I scoffed.

"I don't know Percy and I don't like him. He's an idiot for not appreciating the fact he at least HAS parents," I said. I went over to Harry's bed and laid down next to him, hugging the spare pillow.

"Are you alright, Jules?" Fred asked.

"I'm going to kill myself," I blurted out. George and Fred ran over to me.

"Don't do that, that's bloody insane. It's not worth it, how do you expect to make your mother proud?" Fred asked. I growled then just blinked away angry tears.

Mrs Weasley had knitted me a sweater. I felt so honored to receive a blue jumper with a silver letter "J" on it. Although it didn't make me feel 100% better, I was happier.

Draco's eagle owl arrived a bit later to deliver his present to me. It was another journal to use for Alchemy since I'd already run out of space on my old one. He included a note saying he was enjoying the book I gave him.

"Thanks, I needed this. I don't know if you know yet, but my mum died. I probably won't be up for a lot of conversation over the break and will likely be more antisocial when the term begins again. Sorry."

I wanted him to at least know what was going on. I doubted he knew but if he did because of his father, then that would be a given.

We went to St Mungos again later to visit Mr Weasley. The whole hospital was all decorated and it made me feel sick. How could I feel happy in this environment when my mother was sitting in a lab waiting to be prepared for her funeral? It was just unfair.

The reception area disgusted me the most, having been overdecorated.

Mr Weasley was overjoyed to see us. My gift to him was a Muggle book about pretty normal people. Honestly it was more like a manual for how to be normal in Muggle terms but I knew he'd enjoy it.

When Mrs Weasley found out he'd gotten stitches, she got angry and we were basically pushed out of the room.

We wandered onward through the hospital and ended up in the spell damage ward, where we all saw a familiar face.

"Gilderoy Lockhart?" I asked incredulously.

"Well hello there! I'd expect you'd like my autograph, would you?" He asked.

"Hasn't changed a bit," Harry told Ginny.

"How are you Professor?" Ron asked.

"I'm very well indeed, thank you. Now how many autographs would you like? I can do joined up writing now, you know!" He said.

"What on Earth happened to him?" I asked.

"He's the one we told you about. He tried to wipe our memories but it backfired on him," Harry said.

"How do you know him?" Ron asked.

"Well not only was he an author, but he dated one of the teachers at our school- Madame Anderson," I said. Hermione gaped at me.

"Haven't we met?" Lockhart asked us.

"We have yes. You used to teach at Hogwarts, remember?" Harry asked.

"Me? Did I? Must've taught you everything I know!" Lockhart trilled.

"More like everything you stole," I sneered under my breath. Hermione pouted.

"Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to?" A Healer asked. She saw us and smiled.

"Oh Gilderoy, you've got visitors! How lovely, and on Christmas day too! Do you know, he never gets visitors, poor lamb, and I can't think why. He's such a sweetie, aren't you?" The Healer said. I smiled grimly.

Lockhart started asking us if we wanted autographs again.

"Listen to him! He was rather well known a few years ago. We very much hope that this liking for giving autographs is a sign that his memory may be coming back a little bit," the Healer said, "Will you step this way? He's in a closed ward, you know, he must've slipped out while I was bringing in the presents even though the door's usually locked. It IS nice of you to have come to see him!"

"We were just-" Ron began.

The Healer was smiling so much he couldn't finish his sentence.

We finally got away and ended up in the ward for long term residents, where we found a familiar face.

"Neville!" Ron said. Neville jumped and seemed to try and hide.

"It's us, Neville! Have you seen? Lockhart's here. Who've you been visiting?" Ron asked.

"Friends of yours, Neville dear?" His grandmother asked. We nodded.

She extended her arm out to Harry.

"Yes yes I know who you are, of course. Neville speaks most highly of you," she said. Harry muttered a thank you.

"You two are clearly Weasleys. Your parents are fine people," she said. Then she turned to me. Her eyes widened.

"My my my, I never thought I'd see that face again," she said. I touched my face immediately.

"You look just like your father," she murmured. I felt my face turn red.

"Don't be ashamed, child! He died doing a noble, noble thing," she said. Neville stared at me with his eyes wide.

"How's your mother?" She asked. I faltered a bit.

"She's resting now," I said softly. Her eyes widened.

"What?" She asked.

"She died yesterday," I said even quieter. Neville's eyes were the size of plates now.

"Oh I'm so sorry," his grandmother said, quickly turning to Hermione.

"And you must be Hermione Granger. You've helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven't you? I'm afraid he hasn't got his father's talent," she said as she jerked her head to two people behind her. My mouth dropped open.

"Is that your dad, Neville?" Ron asked.

"What's this? You haven't told them about your parents?" Mrs Longbottom asked.

I stared with wide eyes to the woman and man sitting in the beds behind.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of! You should be proud, Neville, proud! They didn't give their health and sanity so their only son could be ashamed of them, you know!" Mrs Longbottom said. I stared sheepishly at Neville, who looked like he wanted to disappear.

"I am proud," he said.

"You're got a funny way of showing it!" Mrs Longbottom said, "my son and his wife were tortured into insanity by You Know Who's followers."

Hermione, Ginny, and I gasped loudly and covered our mouth with our hands.

"They were very respected Aurors-"

Neville's mother had come to offer him a wrapper.

"Thanks mum," he said. She stared at us, almost puzzled, then walked away.

"Well we'd better go back. Nice to meet you all!" Mrs Longbottom said as she began to walk away. Neville put the wrapper in his pocket.

"I never knew!" Hermione said with tears in her eyes.

"Neither did I," Ron said.

"Nor me," Ginny said quietly.

I shook my head and blinked tears away. I was such an emotional wreck.

"I did. Dumbledore told me. It was Bellatrix Lestrange. That's why she's in Azkaban," Harry said.

At that moment I felt like I just wanted to kill everyone involved with You Know Who. They should pay for all they'd done.


	17. Chapter 17

Going back to school was the worst. On top of all the DA members nagging Harry and I about meetings, they were making fun of him cause his Occlumency code name was "Remedial Potions."

"I could kill Zacharias Smith at this point," I snarled as we walked away from him.

Cho came up to us later so I wandered away to give Harry some privacy. When I saw him again, they'd compromised to go on a date at Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day.

"Look at you, Harry, getting a date with Cho Chang," I said with a small smile.

In Alchemy that day I had to endure nearly two hours of Draco staring at me but not talking to me. When the class ended he grabbed my arm.

"Yes?" I inquired.

"I'm really sorry about your mum," he said. I felt tears coming back into my eyes and I blinked them away.

"It's ok," I croaked. Draco shook his head.

"If you need to cry then you should. Holding it in is really bad for you," he said. I couldn't take it anymore. I burst into tears. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed my face into his chest, either to comfort me or finally kill me. One of his hands was caressing my hair, the other one was pulling me tightly in. I don't know how long I cried but he was right, it felt good to cry.

"Do you feel better?" He asked when I'd finished. I nodded wnd started cleaning my face.

"Yeah except now I look like a pig with such a red blotchy face," I said, trying to fix my hair.

"You still look pretty," Draco said. I sniffled and wiped my eyes again.

"No I don't. I feel disgusting, I've been crying almost everyday for three weeks now and I feel like shit," I said.

"Look I'd be worried if you didn't cry. You're allowed to mourn, Jules. You're allowed to feel sad. But don't let it condition you to think that you're ugly because you're sad. Because I think you look beautiful even when you cry," he said. I looked at him, probably like how a small child looks at their parents after they've finished crying over a scraped knee.

Draco hugged me tightly, which squeezed more tears out of me.

"If you need to talk to anyone, I'm here for you," he said. I nodded and dried my tears again. Draco used his sleeve to finish wiping my face. I stared at the floor, not wanting to start crying again. Draco touched my face softly and lifted it so I stared him in the eyes.

"Your mother is someone you will never forget. She's proud of you for being so strong and amazing. Don't let this get you down. Surpass it and excel, to make her sacrifice worth it," he said. I nodded and forced tears not to come out. Then he hugged me again, and this hug lasted longer.

That night after Harry's Occlumency lessons, he told us he'd discovered that the door my mother had been guarding was for the Department of Mysteries. We didn't know what was in there, but we assumed it was something the Ministry had been developing.

Then Harry had fallen to the floor screaming and clutching his scar. We didn't know why, but according to him Voldemort was very very happy.

I doubted anyone else had really found out about my mother's death. That was until the second morning I received a copy of the Daily Prophet bearing no good news.

"There's been a breakout from Azkaban!" Harry cried. I stared at the paper in horror as several Desth Eaters smiled diabolically or laughed in their pictures.

"And Fudge is blaming it on Sirius! He says that since he was released he had time to orchestrate the breakout. This is ridiculous!" Hermione snapped.

"Oi Jules, there's an article about your MUM," Ron said. I grabbed my copy of the Daily Prophet and ripped it open.

"Hero or Villain?

By: Edna Porter

On December 18th, 1995, the French Ministry of Magic's Foreign Relations Official and Manager of the Dark Arts Catcher team Emilia Romano was killed in a tragic accident.

The details we have so far is that Romano was killed when trying to contain a dangerous wizard on the outskirts of Germany."

"That's all wrong!" I snarled.

"They can't reveal the truth here, Jules!" Hermione protested. It only made me angrier.

"It appears that in August of 1995, Romano and her daughter Juliana moved to England presumably for her daughter to attend Hogwarts however it seems that perhaps a mission was in place for Romano.

Shortly after arriving come September, Romano pursued a case with the infamous Sirius Black, previously believed to be a mass murderer. She ultimately advocated for a trial under Veritaserum and he was later cleared of all charges.

However the story was not meant to end with her being a hero that did justice to a man wrongfully accused.

We have reason to believe that Romano tampered with the Veritaserum before the trial and in fact gave him a potion with no effects. Shortly before the trial began, Romano was seen exiting the preparation room with some sort of vial in her hand.

Since the Azkaban breakout yesterday, we now believe that Romano and Black worked together to orchestrate this and should in fact be careful with Black. We believe now that Romano died helping Black with the breakout because of the explosives used to break the walls of Azkaban and the mysterious circumstances behind her death, hence the closed coffin funeral she had where her daughter simply couldn't keep her tears in.

It is for us to decide now, whether we should commemorate Emilia Romano for the said good things she did, or remember her as a villain who made the world unsafe again. Is she a hero or a villain? Is her daughter following in her footsteps? We may never know.

"This is bullshit!" I screamed, shredding the paper with my bear hands.

"That's absurd, they think your mother and Sirius helped with the breakout? That's ridiculous!" Hermione said.

"Yeah and why do they have to mention you as if you're going to kill us all?" Ron asked.

I stared blankly at my food, no longer wanting to eat.

Later the day became a chorus of "I'm sorry about your mother!" And "No wonder you're friends with Slytherins" and "Thank Merlin she's dead."

People were starting to see me a lot different now thanks to the horrible article Edna Porter had written.

During Potions, I snapped.

I'd just finished brewing my potion and was walking back to my desk when that cow Parkinson decided to open her mouth.

"So where do you really go every night, Romano? Planning to help your mum? There's no way you have a boyfriend or anything," Pansy said. I ignored her.

"I think it's marvelous that she died, in fact I hope they kill Black too- he was your mother's boyfriend wasn't he?" She continued. Harry and Ron had noticed what was going on.

"I always knew there was something off about you, you know. But that article explains it! You're the daughter of a psychopath and are following in her footsteps," Pansy spat.

"Shut up," I snapped.

"Help! She's going to kill me next!" Pansy wailed as she snickered and made a face.

"I said, shut up you fat stupid pig!" I snarled, my voice cracking a bit.

"Oh, you're not going to cry again, are you? Everyone knows that's all you do now," Pansy said.

Within seconds Harry and Ron had jumped forward to pull me back from launching myself at Pansy. Draco had come forward to keep me off her.

"Calm down, Jules!" Draco demanded.

"I'm going to punch her! Saying that about my mother- that stupid article- psychopath my ass-" I snarled. Professor Snape gave Pansy a detention, bt the worst was yet to come.

Umbridge had entered the classroom the moment Pansy began to speak. Maybe Pansy began to speak because of Umbridge's presence. I stared at her coldly, and she just smirked.

"I do believe you need another week's detention, Miss Romano," Umbridge said.

"Pansy was egging her on!" Ron protested.

"Miss Romano is a danger to other students with that temper of hers," Umbridge said sweetly. Oh how I wanted to punch her in the face.

"Jules calm down," Draco said again, pushing me further away from Umbridge. She smirked at me then exited the classroom.

That week I was in detention with Lee Jordan who, to spite Umbridge after her new Decree stated that teachers could not give students information that didn't pertain to the subject, had told her that she couldn't tell him and the twins to stop playing Exploding Snap since it didn't pertain to Defense.

"What'd you do?" He asked.

"Nearly killed Parkinson for talking crap about my mum," I said. Lee frowned.

"Sorry about that, Jules," he said.

"It's fine," I mumbled as I kept writing, the words "I will keep my mouth shut" reappearing on the back of my hand.

By Wednesday I'd bled out so much Draco had grown accustomed to waiting for me to finish detention outside so that I wouldn't faint in one of the hallways. Friday night when it was over, Umbridge called me forward to her desk.

"Miss Romano, a word," she said. I trudged forward unenthusiastically.

"Yes ma'am?" I asked irritably.

"I better not find out that you are doing anything illegal in my school because you will pay for it," she said menacingly.

"Like what, might I inquire, Professor?"

"Secret terrorist groups, plans to murder people, substances that could wreak havoc- don't look at me like that girl I am not stupid, I know you're the school's top Alchemist and that you can significantly alter any substance alive to kill us all," she spat. I wanted to punch her, but luckily I didn't. I just stayed silent, breathing heavily. Her lips curled into a smile.

"Hand," she demanded. I thrust my hand out to her and she smiled.

"Don't make a habit of coming in here," she said sweetly as she shooed me away.

The instant I walked out, I punched a wall with my bad hand, leading to blood bursting out.

"Jules!" Draco snapped as he used a handkerchief to wrap my hand in. I just blinked away tears.

"I hate her," I snarled.

"Yes I know that but you need to calm down. Please, you're hurting yourself. Your mother wouldn't want you to," he said. I stared ag him coldly.

"Stop bringing my mother into this, it isn't even ABOUT her anymore! It's everything-"

He clapped his hand over my mouth.

"Shut up, will you? You're just making yourself angrier and you're going to do something you'll regret!" He snapped. I grabbed his hand and slapped it down.

"That's no way to shut someone up!" I snarled. He grabbed my face and pressed his lips onto mine.

I let him kiss me, then I kissed back. And then I puled away.

"Was that better?" He asked quietly.

"I was thinking more like tell me to shut up don't cover my only air passage," I said. He smirked. I just sighed and stared at him. He became serious.

"But was that ok, was it good?" He asked. I shrugged and nodded.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He inquired.

"It was ok in terms of having my consent but I never kissed anyone, how do I know what's good?" I asked. His eyes widened.

"That was your first kiss? I'm sorry," he said. I shrugged.

"It was fine I suppose," I said. He smiled a bit.

"Can I kiss you again?" He asked. I nodded.

He leaned forward and kissed me again, pressing his lips onto mine. I kissed back and wrapped my arms around him.

When we disconnected, he was smiling the biggest I'd ever seen him smile. I smiled a bit too.

"Well I guess that basically reveals the fact I fancy you, Jules," Draco said.

"Well I fancy you too," I said. He smiled widely again.

"Well then, want to go to Hogsmeade with me on Valentine's Day?" He asked. I nodded and he smiled.

"Does this mean you're going to be nicer?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, leaning in to kiss me again.


	18. Chapter 18

Word of Draco and I dating circulated the school insanely fast.

By the next morning at breakfast, Blaise cornered me.

"Is he bluffing or are you two actually dating?" He asked.

"Well we kissed and he asked me to Hogsmeade so I say yes," I told him. His mouth dropped open.

"You're kidding!" He said.

I smirked and shook my head.

"I never thought Draco would actually get a girlfriend. He must really like you," he said. I raised an eyebrow.

"I should hope so," I said.

After that, Harry and Ron ambushed me.

"You're dating Malfoy?" They asked. I sighed and nodded.

"That's insane! I didn't even think he had emotions," Ron said.

"He's a prick I know but I'm trying to make him nicer," I said. Harry shrugged.

"You can date whoever you want as long as it makes you happy, and I know you need that right now. Just be careful, and don't tell him about DA," Harry said.

"I'm not stupid," I said as I rolled my eyes. Harry just smirked.

More and more people were questioning me and I just kept confirming. It was nearly the end of breakfast when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned away from the trio to face Draco.

The whole Great Hall was staring at us. It was dead silent.

"Well everyone is in denial," Draco said with a smirk.

"No one thinks you have a heart," I said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Could I do this if I didn't have a heart?" He asked, leaning down and cupping my face to kiss me.

The Great Hall exploded into conversation and I smiled into the kiss. Draco pulled away and stared into my eyes.

"See you in class," he said as he smirked and walked away.

Hermione was gaping at me.

"Since when?" She demanded.

"Last night. He waited for me to get out of detention and I was mad and he tried putting his hand over my mouth so I'd stop ranting and then he kissed me when I said that was no way to shut someone up," I said. Hermione's eyes grew wide.

"Malfoy made the first move?" She inquired. I nodded and she simply smiled.

"Maybe he'll stop being such a jerk," she said.

"I sure hope so," I said with a smile.

After that, Draco decided to try and make our relationship as public as possible. He'd put his arm around me when we walked and he'd come and sit at the Ravenclaw table whenever I was with Celeste and Seo Jin. He still refused to sit with the Gryffindors.

Did I mention that Anthony and Seo Jin were a couple? Well they were. Unfortunately Celeste was now complaining since Gideon still hadn't asked her out so I told her to be patient. She glumly ate her food then later that day, Gideon asked her to Hogsmeade.

I was watching only the Slytherin practices now since Harry and the twins were no longer on the team. I asked Ginny if she'd like me to come but she said she was too nervous to fly in front of anyone yet, so she insisted I make sure none of her siblings or Harry or Hermione or Michael came to watch.

The only times I didn't watch were when we had DA meetings. Draco was always suspicious but I'd tell him Hermione, Celeste, Seo Jin and I had girl nights. He didn't question it further.

At the next DA meeting, Harry pulled me aside.

"What?" I asked.

"You and Neville have been making a lot of progress after everything. With Bellatrix's breakout and your mum's death you both got snapped into another mindset to do even better. Both of you are accomplishing all the new spells even faster than the others. So I think you two should practice together," Harry said.

Neville and I did start practicing together and found a new challenge since both our skill was matching each others.

Harry and Cho were progressing more since he'd asked her out and they talked more freely now. The only thing Harry didn't like is all his memories of her were what Snape tapped into during Occlumency. He wasn't really practicing and he still kept dreaming about the Department of Mysteries.

"It's like an illness," Hermione said, "it has to get worse before it gets better."

"It's lessons with Snape that make it worse," Harry groaned, "I'm getting sick of my scar hurting and sick of walking down that corridor every bloody night."

"Well you need to see this in a more positive light," I said. Harry just shrugged.

"It's Snape," he said. Then he groaned. "I just wish that door would open, I'm sick of staring at it."

"That's not funny," Hermione snapped. "Dumbledore doesn't want you to have dreams about that corridor at all."

"He wouldn't have asked Snape to teach you Occlumency if he wanted you to. You're going to have to work harder on lessons," I said. Harry glared at me.

"I am working! You try it sometime, Snape trying to get inside your head, it's not a bundle of laughs you know!" He spat.

"Maybe..." Ron started.

"Maybe what?" I asked.

"Maybe it's not Harry's fault he can't close his mind," Ron said.

"You think Snape's opening it for Voldemort?" I asked.

"Yeah exactly," Ron said.

"That would make sense-" I began.

"Shut up Ron, and you too Jules- don't make that face you AGREED with him- how many times have you suspected Snape and when have you ever been right? Dumbledore trusts him, he works for the Order, that ought to be enough!" Hermione argued.

"He used to be a Death Eater!" Ron said. "And we've never seen proof that he REALLY swapped sides."

"Dumbledore trusts him," Hermione said. "And if we can't trust Dumbledore we can't trust anyone."

******

January passed by faster than ever. McGonagall had suggested talking everything out with Madame Pomfrey and I felt better. She helped me understand that my mother had left but her spirit hadn't- a concept I never really understood. She had told me that her spirit resided in the physical and emotional memories I kept of her. She taught me that I could be sad if I wanted to, but that I needed to move on so that I could enjoy my life and learn to live without her.

It all felt so new to me and I fought against it at first but Draco insisted I go see her as regularly as possible for therapy sessions and by February I didn't cry anymore, plus my confidence had returned. I do believe Draco's new form of company helped a lot too.

February 14 came and both Harry and I were insanely nervous for our dates. I helped him pick his shirt and he helped me pick my outfit, which I decided should be simple. I ended up wearing my Ravenclaw jacket and some pants.

At breakfast that morning, Hermione received a rather pleasant letter because she smiled grimly and turned to Harry and I.

"Listen Harry, Jules, this is really important. Do you think you can meet me at the Three Broomsticks around midday? Jules you don't need to come if you don't want to but Harry it's important you try to show up," Hermione said. What on Earth was it about?

"I bet I can make it," I said.

"Well I dunno," Harry said, "Cho might be expecting me to spend the whole day with her. We never said what we were going to do."

"Well bring her along if you must. Perhaps don't bring Draco, Jules," Hermione said.

"Wasn't planning to," I said.

"Will you come?" Hermione asked Harry a bit anxiously.

"Well all right but why?" He asked.

"I haven't got time to explain now, I must answer this quickly," she said, running out of the Great Hall.

"She confuses me," I said.

Harry got up and so did I, but Ron didn't move.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked.

"I can't come to Hogsmeade at all. Angelina wants a full day practice. Like it's going to help- we're the worst team I've ever seen. You should see Sloper and Kirke- they're PATHETIC. Even worse than I am. I dunno why she won't just let me resign," Ron said miserably.

"It's because you're good when you're on form, that's why," Harry said irritably as he began to leave. I sat back down.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, you've GOT to start believing in yourself," I said. "Quidditch doesn't come easy to everyone. I know the Slytherins are pricks but get over them! Show them you don't suck! You have got the talent so show it."

Ron stared at me and nodded grimly.

"Thanks Jules, I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"I'll try and make sure the Slytherins don't sing that awful song," I promised.

"If you can it would help," he said sadly. I gave him a quick hug and left the Great Hall.

Draco was waiting for me at the entrance. He was looking quite good with a blue button up that brought out his eyes. He'd rolled the sleeves up to his elbow.

"You look fancy," I said with a smirk.

"You look normal," he joked. I raised an eyebrow.

"Comfort is key," I said. He laughed and put his arm around me, beginning to lead the way.

"What do you want to do?" He asked.

"We could hang around the shops if you'd like. Maybe drink a Butterbeer or a firewhiskey," I said, joking about the latter. He stared at me curiously.

"You don't strike me as that type of girl, Jules," he said with a grin.

"Well I would be if I actually liked it. It's bland," I said. Draco snorted a bit.

"It's BLAND? Wizards spent centuries perfecting the recipe of it and you're saying it's bland. It's firewhiskey! Bland can't even work out in a sentence with it," Draco said.

"Well it's bland," I concluded. Draco just laughed and moved his arm lower down my back, flashing me a side look. I didn't object until he slipped his hand down into my back pocket.

"Do you mind?" He asked.

"Well normally one asks that before doing it," I said. He smiled sheepishly and put his arm back around my shoulder.

"That's better," I said. I noticed he was smirking.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said.

"If you like being a touchy person you can tell me."

"But you're not going to let me so I probably shouldn't."

"I'd just rather not have my ass touched. Not yet anyway."

"Fair point. I can live with that," Draco said. At least he was respectful.

"Want to go to the Quidditch store?" I asked. He nodded excitedly.

"Maybe now you can conquer your fear and fly," Draco said as he saw me looking at the Quidditch tshirts. I scowled at him.

"I like keeping my feet on the ground thanks," I mumbled as we began to walk out of the store.

Without warning he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder so my head hung near his back.

"Put me down!" I cried while laughing.

"That's a request that will never be fulfilled on my part," he said.

"Draco my face is resting by your ass."

He laughed and swung me back over so I landed right in front of him. I looked up at him. He was smirking like a devil.

"You enjoy making me uncomfortable, don't you?" I asked. He shrugged.

"It's fun," he said.

"If I picked you up that way then YOU wouldn't like it," I said. He stared at me and raised an eyebrow.

"You're almost a half a foot shorter than me and you probably weigh significantly less than I do. You couldn't pick me up," he said. I gasped.

"Are you challenging me?" I taunted. He smirked.

"You can't," he said.

"Bet!" I said. I took my wand out of my pocket and flicked it. He rose and ended up upside down.

"You're cheating," he noticed as he scrambled to keep his shirt tucked in.

"Don't you feel utterly vulnerable?" I asked. He flashed me a smirk and shook his head.

"I can make your clothes become a dress. Don't test me," I said. His eyes widened and I laughed, letting him down gently.

"Alright Jules, let's go have a drink shall we?" He asked, putting his arm around my waist and leading me to the Three Broomsticks. At least we'd be where Hermione was. It was barely 10 o'clock and she didn't expect us til around 12.

I wondered how Harry and Cho's date was going. Maybe they were having a pleasant time and had stopped being nervous around each other.

I didn't see Hermione inside yet so I picked a table where I could see when she walked in.

"Two Butterbeers please," Draco ordered, sliding Madame Rosmerta some Sickles. I gasped.

"Let me pay for mine!" I protested.

"Nonsense, my treat," he said, gently slapping my hand away before I could give her my money. He smiled at me.

"Well look at you, being such a gentleman," I said. He shrugged.

"I can be one when I want to. No reason to be one anywhere but here," he said.

"I can imagine you don't dress up often then," I said.

"Yep. Last time was- er- Yule Ball," he said. I nodded.

"That's probably the last time I wore a dress. Oh well actually...nevermind," I said, remembering I'd worn a dress to my mother's funeral. Draco became serious.

"Look Jules I know you probably don't want to talk about it but I have to say it. I didn't know your mum at all but I am certain that she was and will always be so proud of you for everything you do. So keep living and make her impact on you worthwhile," he said. I sighed and looked at my hands. They were scarred from me purposely balling my fists so tight that my nails burst the skin. Draco noticed and put his hands tenderly over mine.

"They told me about how you got when you first found out. Wanting to die. I don't want you to die and I know no one else does. We'd be lost without you," Draco said. I breathed out heavily and looked up at him. I smiled and he smiled back.

"I'd lean over to kiss you but I'd get stabbed in the stomach by this unnaturally sharp table," he said. I almost snorted and my hand flew to cover my mouth.

"You're cute when you laugh," he said. I blushed.

Our Butterbeers arrived shortly thereafter.

"So tell me something I don't know," I said as I took a sip. Very sweet today.

"Er- my middle name is Lucius like my dad. I had a cat before when I was little, she was a Siamese named Jasmine. I actually really like the color red. My favorite song is Forget What I Did by PsychoWitches-"

"You, Draco Malfoy, listen to PSYCHOWITCHES?" I asked incredulously. He smirked and shrugged.

"I'm into rock, don't judge. Now you tell me some facts," he said.

"Well my middle name is Elizabeth. My favorite color is turquoise. My favorite animal is a wolf. My favorite song is I Didn't Start the War by TwitchyBitchyTroll-"

"Am I allowed to be surprised that you also like rock? I haven't heard TwitchyBitchyTroll in ages," Draco said. I shrugged.

"I listen to them a LOT. Their song Better than Ever is ALWAYS stuck in my head," I said. Draco's eyes widened.

"I know that song! It's like: 'You went and left me in the trash, girl don't give me all that sass, you know you cheated with my friend, my dear this is the bloody end, fuck you and your perfect looks, don't know why I got so hooked, I'm better than ever now, you won't ever get me down,'" Draco recited. I gasped and clapped enthusiastically.

"You know it!" I squealed. He smirked and bowed his head.

"My favorite part of that song is when he starts dissing her and he's like 'shit you just walked in, goosebumps on my skin, you heard me talk some shit, you're gonna throw a fit,'" Draco said with a laugh. I smiled and finished my Butterbeer. I noticed Hermione was there now, and so was Harry. They were looking at me.

"Uh Draco I think Hermione needs to talk to me about something," I said. He turned and saw her, then made a glum face.

"Give me like ten minutes I'll be quick," I said.

"I'll go into the castle and get a book I was planning to give that I forgot. No worries," he said with a smile. He pecked me on the lips and left. I scurried over to where Hermione, Harry, Luna, and the familiar Rita Skeeter were. I hated that woman.

A few years ago she'd traveled to France to write about one of our teachers Madame Rosenberg who had received an award for solving a complex case in Magical Law (she was a lawyer on the side) and Rita had twisted it so that she had allegedly cheated on her husband whilst doing the case and not only ended her marriage but also her career as a lawyer.

"....so you actually stick to it, do you, that He Who Must Not Be Named is back?" Rita asked Harry. "You stand by all the garbage Dumbledore's been telling everybody about You Know Who returning and you being the sole witness-"

"I wasn't the sole witness. There were a dozen odd Death Eaters there as well. Want their names?" Harry snarled.

"I'd love them. A great bold headline....'Potter Accuses'....a subjeading, 'Harry Potter Names Death Eaters Still Among Us'....'disturbed teenage survivor of You Know Who's attack, Harry Potter, 15, caused outrage yesterday by accusing respectable and prominent members of the Wizarding community of being Death Eaters...'" Rita said almost with malicious content. She then stopped.

"But of course, Little Miss Perfect wouldn't want that story out there, would she?" Rita asked.

"As a matter of fact," Hermione said with Umbridge style sweetness, "that's exactly what she wants."

All of our mouths dropped open.

"You WANT me to report what he says about You Know Who?" Rita asked in a quiet hiss.

"Yep. The true story. Every fact just as Harry reports them. He'll give you all the details and the names, he'll tell you what Voldemort looks like now-" Hermione said.

"Get a grip of yourself," I snapped at Rita when she flinched.

"The Prophet wouldn't print it. In case you haven't noticed, nobody believes his cock and bull story. Everyone thinks he's delusional. Now if you let me write the story from THAT angle-"

"We don't need another story about him losing his marbles! We want the truth," Hermione demanded.

"'Mione, there's no market for a story like that," I whispered. She nodded vigorously.

"The Prophet won't print it because Fudge won't let them," Hermione noted.

"All right, Fudge is leaning on the Prophet. But it comes to the same thing," Rita said in a businesslike tone, "they won't print a story that shows Harry in a good light. Nobody wants to read it, it's against the public mood. The last Azkaban breakout has got people worried enough. They just don't want to believe You Know Who's back."

"So the Prophet exists to tell people what they want to hear, does it?" I said scathingly.

"It exists to sell itself, silly girl," Rita said flatly.

"My dad thinks it's an awful paper. He publishes more important stories that he thinks the public needs to know without caring about making money," Luna added. Rita stared at her irritably.

"I'm guessing he runs some stupid little village newsletter? 25 Ways to Mingle with Muggles and the dates of the next Bring a Fly Sale?" Rita asked in a taunting tone.

"No, he's the editor of the Quibbler," Luna said.

Rita snorted and I almost kicked her under the table. Many French people enjoyed reading the Quibbler. It told things as they were, unlike the Prophet.

"Important stories he thinks the public needs to know? I could manure my garden with the contents on that rag!" Rita said. Luna stared at her indignantly.

"Well this is your chance to raise the tone of it a bit, isn't it? Luna's father is quite happy to take Harry's interview. The Quibbler will be publishing it," Hermione announced. Rita burst into laughter again.

"The Quibbler!" Rita cackled, "you think people will take him seriously if he's published in the Quibbler?"

"Some people might not," I said sternly, "but many people want a better explanation of what happened. I know they do in France. If there's an alternative story available- even if it's published in the Quibbler- I think they might be keen to read it."

Rita stared at me long and hard while Hermione beamed.

"Let's say I do it," Rita said abruptly, "what fee and I going to get?"

"Daddy doesn't exactly pay people to write for the magazine. They do it because of the honor," Luna said dreamily.

"I'm supposed to do this for free?" Rita snarled.

"Pro bono looks very good on the media," I reminded her.

"Yes and otherwise I will inform authorities that you're an unregistered Animagus. The Prophet might even give you a lot for an insider's account on life in Azkaban," Hermione said. I snorted and Rita stared at us both like she wanted to stab us with her quill.

"Don't suppose I've got any choice, have I?" Rita asked angrily. Hermione smirked at her.

"Daddy will be pleased," Luna sighed.

Harry began talking and Rita began writing. I listened intently to the details, feeling thankful I didn't have to go through that. It also empowered me to help Harry defeat Voldemort no matter what.

When the interview finished, I found Draco waiting for me outside. I smiled brightly at him.

"Here's the book. Letters to Water. It's about a boy who's mother died trying to turn water to air so it wouldn't kill a little girl that was drowning. He writes letters to his mother to try and master what she began so he could save the same little girl's life since she's in a coma and someone starts replying and he starts learning," Draco said. I smiled and took the book in my hands. It was rather thick.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this," I said.

We walked back to the castle. Draco insisted on taking me straight to the door of the Ravenclaw Common Room.

"I had a lovely time. Sorry for abandoning you a bit," I said. Draco shrugged.

"No worries. Whatever it was it must have been important," he said, leaning down and kissing my lips. I touched his face softly and pulled him closer. He wrapped his arms around me and they traveled down to rest on my hips.

"Goodnight," I breathed as we disconnected, smiling at him and entering my Common Room.


	19. Chapter 19

"...so then she jumps up, right, and says 'i'll see you around Harry' and runs out of the place! I mean, what was that all about? What was going on?" Harry asked as he recounted what had happened on his date with Cho. She'd already told me the story.

"Harry you were a bit tactless," I said.

"Me, tactless? One minute we're getting on fine, next minute she's saying Roger Davies asked her out, and how she used to go snog Cedric in that stupid tea shop, how was I supposed to feel about that?" Harry demanded.

"Well you see, you shouldn't have told her you were going to meet me halfway during the date," Hermione said.

"But, but- you TOLD me to meet you at 12 and to bring her along, how was I supposed to do that without telling her?"

"You should've said it differently!" I said.

"Exactly! You should have said it was really annoying but you promised and you'd rather spend the day with her but you thought you ought to meet me and would she please come with you to get away quickly? Maybe even mention how ugly you think I am," Hermione said.

"But I don't think you're ugly," Harry said.

"Yeah that's a bit much Hermione," I said. She face palmed herself.

"Harry, you're worse than Ron- Well almost. You upset her by saying you were going to meet me so she tried to make you jealous. She wanted to see how much you liked her," Hermione said.

"How was I supposed to know that?" Harry asked.

Ron and Ginny both plopped down on the table, covered in mud. I winced.

"Well wouldn't it have been easier if she just asked me that?" Harry asked.

"Girls don't often ask questions like that," I said.

"Well they should! Then I could've told her I fancied her and she wouldn't have gotten worked up about Cedric dying!"

"Ok, what she did wasn't sensible but I'm trying to make you see how she was feeling at the time!"

"You should write a book," Ron mumbled to Hermione and I.

"Yeah. Translate all the mad things girls do so we can understand," Harry added.

"So how was Quidditch practice?" I intervened.

"A nightmare," Ron muttered.

"It can't have been that bad," Hermione said, facing Ginny.

"Yes it was. It was appaling. Angelina was nearly in tears by the end," Ginny stated.

Then she and Ron left for the baths. Fred and George slipped into their spots.

"They're going to be slaughtered, we've been watching their practice. They're rubbish without us," Fred said.

"Ginny's not that bad. Dunno how she got so good seeing how we never let her play with us," George said.

"She's been sneaking onto your brooms since she was six," Hermione said.

"Makes sense," Fred said.

"Has Ron saved a goal yet?" I asked.

"He can if he thinks no ones watching. We'll just need to ask the crowd to turn their backs and talk with each other whenever the Quaffle goes up his end on Saturday," Fred said. I laughed.

"That's so mean," I said.

"My specialty," Fred said.

"You know, Quidditch was the only thing about this place worth staying for," George said. Fred nodded and Hermione scowled.

"You've got exams coming!" She protested.

"Told you already we're not fussed about NEWTs. All our products are ready to roll," Fred said.

"I dunno if I even want to watch the match," George said with a yawn, "if Zacharias Smith beats us I might have to kill myself."

"Kill him, more like," Fred said.

"That's the trouble with Quidditch. It creates all this tension between the Houses," Hermione said.

We all stared at her.

"Well it does! It's only a game," she said.

"You're good on feelings, Hermione, but you just don't understand Quidditch," Harry said.

"Maybe not but at least my happiness doesn't depend on Ron's goalkeeping ability," she said as she got up and left.

"I'd rather jump off the Astronomy Tower than admit that," Harry mumbled to me.

The game itself was very short.

Angelina got hit in the mouth with Sloper's bat, Kirke fell off his broom when Zacharias Smith zoomed towards him with the Quaffle. Ginny luckily caught the Snitch right under Hufflepuff Seeker Summerby's nose but they still lost. Luckily this time only Pansy and the goons were singing the song but the rest of Slytherin wasn't thanks to Draco. I think Harry respected him more after that.

"I haven't even got the heart to take the mickey out of him, even," Fred told me as Ron sat hunched in the corner with Butterbeer in his hand.

"Mind you, when he missed the fourteenth.." George mumbled. I sighed and stared at Ron.

The Quibbler's publishing of Harry's interview was released shortly after and although he got a lot of hate mail and support mail.

"What's going on here?" Umbridge demanded, making me jump and drop the letter I was looking at.

"Why've you got so many letters, Mr Potter?" She asked.

"Is that a crime now? Getting mail?" Fred demanded.

"Be careful, Mr Weasley or that will be a detention. Mr Potter?" Umbridge inquired.

"People have written to me because I gave an interview about what happened to me last June," Harry said. Umbridge looked rageful.

"What do you mean an interview?" She demanded.

"I mean a reporter asked me questions and I answered. Here," he said, chucking a copy of the Prophet at her.

"When did you do this?" She asked with a tremor in her voice.

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," Harry said.

She stared at him as if she wanted to murder him.

"No more Hogsmeade visits for you, Mr Potter. How dare you- how could you- I have tried time and time again to teach you not to tell lies. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions. The message doesn't appear to have sank in," Umbridge spat.

"The message that you're a bitch hasn't sank in either," I snapped at her, "need a reminder? Eres una puta. Ty jsi fenka-"

"You insolent brat! Fifty points from Ravenclaw and a week's worth of detention for you too! You still haven't learned to keep. Your. Mouth. SHUT!" Umbridge snarled as she gripped the Quibbler tightly and walked away.

Anyone with the Quibbler was going to be expelled now. We still found ways to hide it. It only made everyone want to read it more.

Harry then had another creepy dream where he was Voldemort. We discovered why they killed Bode. Unfortunately it was possible Draco's father had been involved.

"Sturgis!" Hermione gasped.

"Sorry?" I asked.

"Sturgis Podmore! Arrested for trying to get through a door. Lucius Malfoy got him too. I bet he did the day you saw him there Harry! Sturgis had Moody's Invisibility Cloak right? So what if he was standing guard by the door and Malfoy heard him more or knew he was there and did an Imperius Curse on the off chance another guard was there? So when Sturgis went on duty again he trued to get into the Department to steal the weapon for Voldemort but got caught and ended up in Azkaban...."

I just gaped at her.

"There's a lot about Malfoy's dad you have yet to learn," Harry said.

"And now Rookwood's told Voldemort how to get the weapon..." Hermione mumbled.

"Yeah, I didn't hear the whole conversation but that's what it sounded like. Rookwood used to work there, maybe Voldemort's sending him," Harry said.

I just felt overwhelmed. This was so complex. Why were we figuring this out and not the stupid Ministry? If my mum was still alive they might have figured this out.

"You shouldn't have seen all this Harry," Hermione said.

"What?" He and I both said.

"It's bad yes but it helps us with information to help the Order!" I said. Harry nodded.

"You're supposed to be learning to close your mind to this sort of thing!" Hermione protested.

"I know I am-"

"Well try and forget what you saw. And maybe put a bit more effort into Occlumency," Hermione said.

Harry got angry with her after that.

"It's for his own good!" She argued with me that night in the Common Room.

"I know 'Mione but we could use this information. He probably thinks it's really going to help," I said.

Suddenly we heard screams.

"What the hell?" I asked.

Someone screamed again.

"Somethings wrong," Hermione said as she and I both shot up off the couch and ran for the door.

A Professor I didn't recognize was standing in the middle of the entrance hall, looking quite angry.

"That's Professor Trelawney!" Hermione said.

"No!" She shrieked, "This can't be happening! I refuse to accept it!"

"You didn't realize this was coming?" Umbridge asked in her cruel girly voice.

"I want to hex her!" I snarled.

"Incapable though you are of predicting tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realized that your pitiful performance during my inspections and lack of any improvement would make it inevitable you would be sacked?"

"You can't" Trelawney moaned, "I've been here sixteen years, this is my home!"

"It was your home!" Umbridge trilled, "until an hour ago when the Minister countersigned the order for your dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this hall. You're embarrassing us."

Professor McGonagall and I both ran over to hug her.

"You leave her alone! She's not a trashy teacher, you are!" I snarled at her.

Everyone was staring, Umbridge infuriated. She stared at me with cold eyes.

"Miss Romano I've told you too many times to keep your mouth shut! You lack so many brain cells it's a wonder you haven't joined your mother!" She snapped. I heard collective gasps as I faced Umbridge.

"I declare that you are expelled from Hogwarts!" Umbridge cried triumphantly. McGonagall grabbed me and pulled me back, wrapping her arms around Trelawney and I.

"Neither of you are going to have to leave Hogwarts," McGonagall said.

"Oh really, Professor McGonagall? And your authority for that statement is...?" Umbridge asked.

"That would be mine," Dumbledore said as he walked in on the scene.

"Yours, Professor Dumbledore?" Umbridge asked with a cruel laugh. "I'm afraid you don't understand the position I have here. An Order of Dismissal signed by myself and he Minister under Education Decree Number Twenty three allows me to sack any teacher I feel isn't performing up to the standard required by the Ministry. Professor Trelawney is not up to scratch and I've dismissed her. As for this insufferable girl, time and time again she's spoken back to me and simply doesn't get that she should keep her mouth shut! Not only that but she is a liar and dangerous to this school!"

"Ah yes you have every right to dismiss my teachers but you can't send then away from the castle. That power resides in me and so Professor Trelawney will continue to live at Hogwarts. As for Miss Romano, it is my ultimate jurisdiction which students get expelled. I don't believe Miss Romano has done anything worth being expelled so I say she continues to attend school here," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling when he looked at me. McGonagall then led Trelawney and I away from the center of the hall.

Draco was waiting on the side for me. I ran into his arms and he hugged me tightly, kissing my forehead.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He asked, almost angry but more concerned.

"I couldn't just let her do that!" I said.

"She said some awful things, about you and your mum. When my father hears about this-"

I felt crestfallen knowing his father was now meant to be my enemy.

"Don't bother him," I mumbled.

"I don't want someone like that in this school treating you like shit!" Draco said. I gulped and stared at him.

"I don't even think we CAN get her out," I said. He sighed and we stared back at her.

"Well what are you going to do with the teacher when I appoint a new one that needs her lodgings?" Umbridge asked in a quiet hiss.

"Not a problem, I already found a new teacher and he will prefer lodgings on the ground flood," Dumbledore said.

Umbridge looked like she'd been slapped.

"YOU'VE found? Might I remind you that-"

"-the Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate only if the Headmaster is unable to find one. And I am happy to say that on this occasion I have succeeded. May I introduce you?" Dumbledore asked, turning to the front doors. A centaur came in.

"This is Firenze. I think you'll find him suitable," Dumbledore said brightly to a thunderstruck Umbridge.

Tha night I was told too many times to keep my mouth shut. But it only made the fire inside me grow more and more. I would never, ever shut up.


	20. Chapter 20

Umbridge treated me even more poorly after that incident. In her class she would isolate me in a back desk and forbid me from looking up at all. She'd sit by me to make sure that didn't happen.

What's worse, she gave me a two week detention because I coughed too loud. I think she just needed an excuse to slice my hand open again.

When Draco heard her give me the detention he stared nastily at her and almost retorted something vulgar but I flashed him a look and he kept his mouth shut.

If it wasn't for him or the DA Meetings, I think I would've hated my life and sought death. I was growing more and more proud as we progressed further and further. Today, we were on Patronuses.

"Cmon Jules think happier," Neville urged as I struggled to produce a single whisp of silver.

"I'm trying," I grumbled. Maybe adopting Millie wasn't the happiest moment. I didn't want to think of my mother because I might feel sad.

Neville made an attempt and failed too.

"Why don't you try?" I demanded.

"I am trying, Jules!" He protested, smirking at me. I sighed and went back to mine. Maybe a memory with Draco...

"How about the time Draco kissed you in front of the whole Great Hall?" Neville asked. I almost dropped my wand out of surprise. Neville laughed.

"Just a suggestion-"

"Why not the time that YOU went to the ball with Ginny?" I retorted. Neville blushed crimson.

"So we're even!" He said, faking anger.

"You can't fool me Neville," I said quite seriously. He burst out laughing.

"Let's try together," he said.

"Alright. On 3," I said.

We counted. I thought of when Draco first kissed me.

"Expecto Patronum!" Neville and I shouted at once.

The silvery shape appeared, blurry at first then clear. It was a panda.

"Golly, Jules, yours is a lot bigger than mine," Neville said, sweating profusely as a shapeless patronus appeared.

"Well you can't tell if yours is big. It might be a dragon," I said.

"Comparing sizes, are we?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"Yes of course," I said cheekily.

Suddenly I noticed a little creature tugging at Harry's pants.

"Oh hello Dobby," I said. He stared at me with wide eyes.

"Hi Dobby- what are you doing?" Harry asked. I noticed the elf was shaking.

"Harry Potter...sir....Dobby had come to warn you....but the house elves have been warned not to tell..." he stammered. I stared fearfully at him.

Dobby ran to the wall and banged his head. I grabbed him and pulled him back.

"What happened Dobby?" Harry asked, more concerned.

"Harry Potter....she she..."

"Who's she, Dobby?" I asked gently.

"Umbridge," Harry blurted out. Dobby fidgeted and then he looked at him sadly. I knew it was her.

"Does she know about the DA?" I asked. Dobby semi nodded.

"Is she coming?" I asked frantically. Everyone was staring. A final nod broke out chaos.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, RUN!" Harry yelled.

Commotion was followed by fear as people bolted out of the room.

"Get down to the kitchen safely Dobby!" Harry ordered as he grabbed my arm and we ran outside.

We were running and suddenly Harry tripped forward, bringing me down. I hit y head on the floor and groaned. I turned and saw Draco.

"Ha! Trip Jinx Potter! Hey PROFESSOR! I've got one- two..." Draco said, loudly until the word "two" he stared at me and gasped.

"Jules!" He said. I stared at him with disgust.

"So you've gone to help Umbridge now, haven't you?" I spat. He stared at me sheepishly.

"Well she and my father-"

"To HELL with that! First you're acting all mad that she's being a bitch to me and now you're SIDING with her? That's the biggest stab in the back I've ever received!" I snarled. He opened his mouth and I held my hand up.

"Save it! I don't need excuses! I should have listened when they told me you were a bad person. You betrayed me," I said.

Umbridge showed up and her eyes glittered with happiness, a sense of disgusting pleasure with seeing us caught.

"Ohh this is perfect, oh excellent Draco, EXCELLENT! I got the two ringleaders...fifty points to Slytherin! I'll take them both from here," she said with a malicious smirk toward Harry and I. I sneered at Draco as she grabbed Harry and I's shirts.

"You two will be coming with me to the headmaster's office," she said triumphantly.

She dragged us along, Harry and I looking at each other almost trying to devise an escape plan. I could punch her and Harry could make a Patronus beat her up since she was basically a dementor anyway...

"Fizzing Whizbee," Umbridge sang as she led us up the staircase and into Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore sat at his desk, looking calm but thoughtful. McGonagall was next to him, quite tense. Cornelius Fudge himself was standing by the fireplace with a gleeful expression. My mother's close friend and Order member Kingsley Shacklebolt stood there too. He flashed me a small smile as I walked by him. Percy Weasley was also there, the rat.

The portraits of past headmasters stared at us reproachingly, with great displeasure.

"Well well well," Fudge said.

I shot him a nasty look and apparently Harry did the same, because Fudge scowled. My brain felt clear, despite my heart beating at a thousand miles an hour.

"They were heading back to Gryffindor Tower. The Malfoy boy cornered them," Umbridge said, clearly pleased.

"Did he? I must remember to tell Lucius," Fudge said. Draco had daddy issues.

"I expect you know why you're here," Fudge said. I stared through him at Dumbledore, who shook his head side to side a mere few inches. I noticed and stared at Fudge blankly.

"No. I don't know what you're talking about," I said.

"Yeah. No," Harry said.

"I beg your pardon?" Fudge asked.

"I said no. I think that was evident," I said.

"You DON'T know why you're here?" Fudge asked.

"No. We don't," Harry said. I wanted to squeeze his hand for comfort but that might give us away as liars. I felt so anxious.

"So you have no idea," Fudge said with ginormous sarcasm, "Why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules?"

"Haven't the faintest idea. We're not all there you know, OWL year and all," I said.

"Yeah. School rules broken? Not us," Harry said confidently. I felt like perhaps I was breathing too loud or my voice was shaking. He sounded so prepared.

"Or Ministry decrees?" Fudge asked impatiently.

"Nope," I said, popping the "p."

"Not that I'm aware of," Harry stated.

"So it's news to you, is it," Fudge said irritably, "that an illegal student organization has been discovered within this school?"

"Yes it is," Harry said, looking vaguely surprised.

"Who's done that?" I asked innocently.

"I think that we might make better progress if I fetch out informant," Umbridge said silkily.

"Yes yes do," Fudge insisted. "Nothing like a good witness, eh Dumbledore?"

"Not at all Cornelius," Dumbledore said. I looked at Harry and smiled a bit.

Suddenly Marietta Edgecombe entered with Umbridge. She was covering her entire face with her hands. My jinx had worked.

"Don't be scared dear, don't be frightened," Umbridge said sweetly, patting Marietta on the back. "It's quite all right now. You did the right thing. The minister is quite pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother, Minister, is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network office- she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."

"Jolly good! Like mother like daughter eh? Well come on dear don't be shy, let's hear what you've got- galloping gargoyles!" Fudge exclaimed. He had started to burn his cloak.

I had to force myself not to snicker when Marietta uncovered her face.

Across her face made by a series of closely knit purplish red pustules, the word SNEAK was written across her nose and cheeks. Outlining her face were greener pustules, to emphasize the word in the middle. I felt Harry beam next to me.

"Never mind the spots now, dear! Just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister-" Umbridge began. Marietta wailed and shook her head.

"Oh I'll tell him, silly girl. Well Minister, Miss Edgecombe came into my office after dinner and told me about something going on in the Room of Requirement. By that time the hex came into operation and she refused to tell me more," Umbridge said. Darn, I wish it would've come into play the instant she THOUGHT of snitching when she arrived at Umbridge's office. That was a lot more complex though.

"Well now, that is very brave of you my dear. Now will you tell us what happened at the meeting? Who was there?" Fudge inquired.

Marietta refused, because she'd have to reveal her newest addition to her makeup wardrobe.

"Isn't there a counterjinx for this?" Fudge asked Umbridge.

"Haven't found one yet. I can take up the story from here," Umbridge said. Ha! There was only one, the one I'd created. Unless someone else knew what alchemist combinations went into creating a hex, they would never learn how to undo it.

"You will remember Minister, I sent you a report in October about Potter and Romano having a meeting in the Hog's Head," Umbridge said.

My heart thumped louder in my chest.

"And your evidence?" McGonagall demanded.

"Testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva!" Umbridge said proudly. "He heard every word Potter said and hastened straight to the school to report to me."

"So that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets! What an interesting insight to our justice system!" McGonagall said hotly.

"Blatant corruption!" A portait roared.

"The purpose of Potter's meeting with these students was to persuade them to join an illegal society," Umbridge said, looking around the room. "Whose aim was to learn spells and curses that are inappropriate for school age-"

"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," Dumbledore said.

Umbridge and Fudge both stared at him like he was mad.

"Oho! Yes, let's hear the latest cock and bull story designed to pull Potter out of trouble- and also the newest addition to the troublemaking duo- Romano! Was Widdershins lying then? Was it Potter and Romano's evil twins? Or was there an unusual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life, and a couple of invisible dementors?" Fudge asked.

"Oh very good, Minister, very good!" Percy said loudly with a hearty laugh. I could've strangled him, and I suppose Harry felt the same.

"Cornelius- I don't deny, nor I am sure do Juliana and Harry- that they were in the Hog's head that day, nor that they were trying to recruit students to a Defense Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning student societies was not put into effect until two days after Juliana and Harry's Hogsmeade meeting, so they were not breaking any rules in the Hog's Head at all," Dumbledore said. Percy and Fudge looked like they wanted to punch a wall.

"That's all very fine Headmaster," Umbridge said with false sweetness, "But Educational Decree 24 was introduced nearly six months ago. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are.

"Well, they certainly would be if they had continued after the decree came into effect. Do you have any evidence that these meetings continued?" Dumbledore asked.

"Evidence?" Umbridge barked. "Have you not been listening? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"

"Oh can she tell us about six months worth of meetings? I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting tonight," Dumbledore said.

"Miss Edgecombe," Umbridge snapped. "Tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dear. Simply nor or shake your head, I'm sure it won't make the sports worse" It would. And Marietta knew it too. The green wasn't meant to appear until well after the purple "Have they been happening regularly over the past six months?"

Marietta shook her head. I felt satisfied. Perhaps I might forgive her in a century rather than a millenia.

"I don't think you understood the question dear- I'm asking whether you have been going to these meetings for the past six months? You have, haven't you?" Umbridge demanded. Marietta shook her head again.

"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear. There have been no secret meetings for the past six months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?" McGonagall intervened. Marietta nodded. I grinned internally.

"But there was a meeting tonight! You told me about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Potter and Romano were the leaders, were they not? WHY ARE YOU SHAKING YOUR HEAD, GIRL?" Umbridge snarled.

"Well usually when a person shakes their head, they mean 'no.' Unless Miss Edgecombe is using a form of sign language as yet unknown to humans-" McGonagall began. Umbridge lunged at Marietta and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her insanely hard. Dumbledore and Kingsley both advanced toward Umbridge. She sheepishly lept back.

"I cannot allow you to manhandle my students, Dolores," Dumbledore said furiously.

"You want to calm yourself, Madame Umbridge. You don't want to get yourself into trouble now," Kingsley said.

"No- no of course not I forgot myself," Umbridge stammered. Marietta was still uncomfortable.

"Dolores, the meeting tonight- the one we know definitely happened-" Fudge began.

"Yes, yes well Miss Edgecombe tipped me off and I went to the seventh floor with certain trustworthy students so as to catch them red handed. It seems they were warned prior to my arrival. Miss Parkinson found this list inside," Umbridge said.

My heart skipped beats as she pulled out the list, with Harry and I's names on it.

"Excellent, and by thunder-" Fudge exclaimed. "See what they've named themselves? Dumbledore's Army!"

Dumbledore took the paper and looked at it, seeming unable to speak. When he smiled, I praised Ginny's brilliance.

"Well the game is up. Would you like a written confession from me or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?" Dumbledore asked.

"Statement? What I don't-" Fudge began. I noticed McGonagall and Kingsley stare at each other in confusion. What was Dumbledore doing?

"Dumbledore's Army, not Potter's Army, Cornelius," Dumbledore pointed out.

"But but-YOU?" Fudge asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said happily.

"You organized this?"

"I did."

"You recruited these students for your army?"

"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting. Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe of course," Dumbledore said. Marietta nodded. Why was he lying?

"Then you HAVE been plotting against me!" Fudge roared.

"That's right," Dumbledore said cheerfully.

"No!" I snapped.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry shouted.

"Be quiet you two, or I am afraid you will have to leave my office," Dumbledore said too calmly for my taste.

"Yes, shut up Potter and Romano! Well well well, I came expecting to expel Potter and Romano and instead-" Fudge stated.

"You get to arrest me," Dumbledore said with a smile. What in Merlin's name was his plan?

"Duplicate the notes, Weasley!" Fudge barked at Percy. "Send a copy to the Daily Prophet at once. If we send a fast owl it should make the morning edition! You, Dumbledore, will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged and then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"

"Ah yes, I thought we might hit this little snag," Dumbledore said. Fudge stared at him incredulously.

"I see no snag!" He spat.

"Well I'm afraid I do. Well it's just that you seem to be laboring under the delusion that I'm going to what is the phrase? Come quietly. I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out of course but what a waste of time and frankly I can't think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing," Dumbledore said.

The man with short grey hair that I'd barely noticed looked nervous.

"Don't be silly Dawlish, I'm sure you are an excellent Auror. I seem to remember that you achieved Outstanding in all your NEWTs but if you attempt to bring me in by force I will have to hurt you," Dumbledore said.

"So, you intent to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores, and myself single handedly, do you Dumbledore?" Fudge sneered.

"Merlin's beard no. Not unless you're foolish enough to force me to," Dumbledore said with a smug smile. What a cocky but amazing little bastard.

"He will not be single handed!" McGonagall said loudly.

"Oh yes he will Minerva! Hogwarts needs you!" Dumbledore said sharply.

"Enough of this rubbish! Take him-" Fudge didn't get to finish.

Silver light flashed all across the room. Someone grabbed my shirt and pulled me to the floor. Another cried out and I heard glass break. Then an eerie silence.

"Are you all right?" Dumbledore asked. I gawked as I saw all the Ministry officials knocked out on the floor.

"That was bloody amazing," I said.

"Why thank you," Dumbledore said, as McGonagall helped Harry and Marietta up.

"Unfortunately I had to hex Kingsley too, or it would've looked suspicious. He was remarkably quick on the uptake, modifying Miss Edgecombe's memory like that while everyone looked the other way. Thank him for me, won't you Minerva? Now they will awake soon. It will be best if they do not know we had time to communicate. Act as though no time has passed. As though you too were merely knocked to the ground, they will not remember-" Dumbledore began.

"Where will you go? Grimmauld Place?" McGonagall asked.

"No, not into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you," Dumbledore said grimly.

"Professor..." Harry said.

"Listen to me, Harry and Juliana. Harry you study Occlumency as hard as you can, listen to Professor Snape and practice nightly. Close your mind. Juliana, make sure he does that and do not let him give up-"

Dawlish groaned.

The gorgeous phoenix in the room flew over Dumbledore. He grabbed onto the wing and just like that, they vanished.

"Where is he?" Fudge snarled as he got up.

"I don't know!" Kingsley shouted.

"He can't have Disapparated-" Umbridge snapped.

"The stairs!" Dawlish cried as he ran out.

"Well Minerva, I'm afraid this is the end of your friend Dumbledore," Fudge said in a nasty tone.

"You think so, do you?" She asked scornfully.

"Get these three off to bed," Fudge said, ignoring her response.

McGonagall walked Harry to his Common Room first, then took Marietta and I to ours. When she left, I exited and raced full speed to the Gryffindor Common Room.

I had nearly arrived when someone grabbed me and pushed me into a wall.

"Get OFF-"

Draco clamped his hand over my mouth. I kneed him in the groin. He grunted in pain and fell onto the floor.

"Jules! I want- Merlin's pants- to TALK!" Draco said.

"Well I don't want to speak with you! It was absolutely horrifying!" I spat.

"I didn't know you were there! If you'd told me I'd have let you go-"

"But not Harry! You never liked him! You STILL sided with Umbridge! And don't make that face Draco Lucius Malfoy you don't have an EXCUSE! It only gets worse with you, you don't CARE about me at all! You can't respect my friends and you go help the woman who's been slicing my hand open for months! She insulted my MOTHER the other night! You acted like you cared and I believed you! But really, you were just plotting against us the whole time!" I snarled. Draco opened his mouth like he was going to speak and I slapped him hard on the cheek.

"You're an insufferable prat, Draco Malfoy! And we're DONE!" I spat as I turned and walked away furiously. When I reached the Gryffindor Common Room I found Harry, Ron, and Hermione huddled around the fire.

"Oh Jules..." Hermione said.

"No. I'm not going to cry. I don't care! I can do so much better than him, everyone knows Terry Boot is the handsomest single boy in Ravenclaw- and he's my friend. I can date ANYONE to spite Draco- perhaps I'll date Ron or Harry or maybe even Adrian Pucey! He'll really have a cow over that-"

"With all due respect, Jules, I don't want you to date me just to make Malfoy mad. I want to be a witness to it," Ron said. I just sat down hard on the floor.

"I HATE him. He was actually starting to be a better person!" I snapped.

"We told you so," Ron mumbled. I shot him a nasty look.

"Well I don't need Draco Malfoy! I can be single or with anyone else!" I said loudly. I noticed several heads turned. I noticed Seamus Finnigan was quite handsome, and so was Dean Thomas. George Weasley was also a real cute one and Meredith Orr's sixth year brother Christopher was also quite attractive.

"I think it'd spite him the most with someone he really hated, let's say Harry for instance," Ron said. Harry looked at me ans shrugged.

"I don't really CARE, I mean Cho and I are definitely done and I don't mind making Malfoy angry," he said.

"So it's settled, we're fake dating to spite Draco. Ron be a dear and sit with Hermione in every class we have with Draco so I can sit with Harry," I said. Ron nodded and Hermione smirked.

"I'm pretty angry about all this but I admit making Malfoy mad will be BRILLIANT," she said. I smirked and kissed Harry on the cheek for good measure. Hermione smirked.

I walked back my Common Room and noticed Draco was still lingering around the area.

"Jules-"

"You've been replaced, Malfoy. Don't speak to me," I said flatly.

"Replaced? With WHO?" Draco asked nastily.

"Harry. Objections? No? Good," I snarled, walking even faster. I distinctly heard Draco punch a wall.

If Draco could betray me so easily, then he was just as disposable to me as I was to him.


	21. Chapter 21

"Dumbledore will be back before long," Ernie Macmillian told me in Herbology. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year and they won't be able to this time. The Fat Friar told me that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her. Apparently she had a right little tantrum."

"Oh I expect she really fancied herself sitting up there in the Head's office. Lording it over all the other teachers," Hermione said. "That stupid, puffed up, power crazy old-"

"Now do you REALLY want to finish that sentence, Granger?" I heard Draco say. I whipped around and saw him slide out from behind the door. He stared at me with cold eyes. Harry and Ron came and stood behind us, Harry putting his arm around me. Draco's jaw twitched.

"Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw," Draco said with an evil smirk.

"Only teachers can dock points from Houses, Malfoy," Ernie said.

"Yeah, we're prefects too, remember?" Ron snarled.

"I KNOW prefects can't dock points, Weasley King," Draco sneered, the goons sniggering behind him. "But members of the Inquisitorial Squad-"

"The what?" I asked sharply.

"The Inquisitorial Squad...a select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry, handpicked by Professor Umbridge. We DO have the power to dock points. So Granger I'll take five for you being rude about our new Headmistress, Macmillan five for contradicting me, Five because I don't like you and you're dating my girlfriend Potter, Weasley you're shirt's untucked so I'll have another five for that and-"

Draco stared at me long and hard, not even knowing what to say. I cocked an eyebrow at him, daring him to say something.

"I'm not your girlfriend by the way," I snapped. He stared at me nastily.

"Romano...five for...for," He stammered, unsure what to say.

"How about calling you a selfish prick? And calling the Headmistress a fat ugly cow?" I spat.

Draco glared at me, still not wanting to dock points.

"Nevermind," he snarled. "And ah yes, Granger I forgot you're a Mudblood so ten for that-"

I punched him in the nose so hard and so fast he fell onto the floor and yelled loudly as his hand flew to cover his face.

Ron and Harry were standing next to me, wands drawn.

"Way to go, Jules!" Ernie said gleefully. I smirked and stood over Draco.

"Next time it will be worse," I snapped at Draco.

Crabbe and Goyle stared at the both of us, unsure of what to do.

"Nevermind! I forbid you two from telling Umbridge. I just need to heal this damn nose," Draco spat, staring at me and looking both sad and angry. He got up and stalked away, his goons following behind.

"He CAN'T be allowed to dock points that would completely undermine the prefect system..." Ernie said.

We turned to see our giant hourglasses. Several gems flew out of them.

"Noticed, have you?" Fred asked in a sad voice.

"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points. Well all of us except Jules and she PUNCHED him," Harry said.

"Ah favoritism. Good job Jules," George said.

"Montague tried to do us during break," Fred said.

"Wait what do you mean 'tried,'" Ron said.

"He never managed to get all his words out. We forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor," George said.

I snickered and gave the twins a high five. Hermione looked apalled.

"But you'll get into terrible trouble!" She exclaimed.

"Not until he reappears and that could take weeks. Don't even know where we sent him," Fred said.

"We've decided we don't care about getting in trouble anymore," George announced.

"Have you ever?" I asked with a laugh.

"Course we have. Never been expelled have we?" Fred asked.

"We've always know where to draw the line," George said.

"We might have put a toe across it occasionally..."

"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem."

"But now?" Ron asked.

"Well now-"

"-what with Dumbledore gone-"

"- we reckon a bit of mayhem-"

"-is exactly what our new Head deserves-"

"You mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!" Hermione cried.

"You don't get it Hermione, do you?" Fred asked with a smile. "We don't care about staying anymore. We'd walk out first now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So anyway-" he stopped and looked at his watch-"phase one is about to begin. I'd get in the Great Hall for lunch if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it."

"Anything to do with what? I want to help!" I said.

"Can't risk that Jules, she hates you enough already," Fred said.

"You'll see anyways. Run along now," George said. Then he and Fred disappeared.

"That's not fair," I pouted.

"We should get out of here," Hermione suggested.

"POTTER! ROMANO!" Filch yelled.

Harry and I whipped around.

"What?" I snapped.

"The Headmistress would like to see you," he said.

He led us to her office, smiling maliciously.

"Here we are. The Potter boy and Romano girl to see you, ma'am," Filch announced.

"Thank you Argus," she said sweetly, waving us in.

"Sit," she motioned to us after she waved Filch away.

Harry and I sat.

"Well, what would you like to drink?" Umbridge asked.

I stared at her confused.

"To drink, Mr Potter and Ms Romano. Tea? Coffee? Pumpkin juice?" She asked.

"Nothing thank you," Harry said.

"Coffee please," I said, not wanting to argue.

"I insist Mr Potter. Choose one," she said dangerously to Harry.

"Tea then," he said with a shrug. I looked at him and raised my eyebrows. She was going to poison us for sure.

She waved her wand and turned her back to us as the drinks appeared and she began to add milk.

"There," she said, handing us out drinks. "Drink up. And lets have a chat about last nights distressing events..."

I stared at the coffee. I smelled it and noticed veritaserum had to have been added because it smelled too strong for all the milk she'd added. Aside from that the coffee was still to brown. I winked at Harry and made a big show of chugging the coffee down. Little did she know I was unaffected by veritaserum thanks to my mother's genetics.

"Drink up Mr Potter," Umbridge said, smiling sweetly at me.

Harry pretended to drink.

"Now where is Albus Dumbledore?" She asked abruptly.

"No idea," Harry and I said automatically.

She stared at me curiously. I handed her back my empty cup. It was the truth.

"Very well...in that case you will kindly tell me the whereabouts of Sirius Black," she said.

"Why do you need to know?" I asked.

"He's dangerous. As was your mother, you may recall," Umbridge said with false sweetness. I hated her.

A little voice inside me was screaming "my house my house!" Then I ignored it.

"No idea. He disappeared after my mum died," I said, hoping it wasn't too forced. Umbridge's eyes were growing wider, as if she could not understand how I was saying this.

"Very well, you two. I will take your word for it this time. But be warned- the Ministry stands behind me. All channels of communication are being monitored. If I find a shred of evidence-"

BOOM!

I jumped and Harry flinched. Umbridge stared furiously at the door.

"What was-?" She asked.

She listened and her eyes narrowed.

"Back to lunch, both of you!" She snapped as she got up and left.

We waited a few seconds. Then as if out of instinct, Harry and I leapt out of our seats to follow her.

As we got down by the staircase a firework whizzed in front of me.

"Hurry, Filch, hurry!" Umbridge shrieked. "They'll be all over the school unless we do something! Stupefy!"

I laughed as another one zoomed past, joining with another group to create a huge dragon.

Harry and I laughed, watching Filch and Umbridge struggle. Then Harry grabbed my hand and we scurried behind a tapestry to not be seen. Of course, Fred and George were there.

"Impressive, very impressive," Harry said.

"You'll put Dr Filibuster out of business without a problem!" I exclaimed.

"Cheers," George said as he wiped the tears of laughter from his face.

"Oh I hope she tries Vanishing them next," Fred said with a laugh, "they multiply by ten every time you try."

The fireworks continued to rage on around school and the teachers had begun to act as if they simply could not get rid of it without Umbridge's help.

In Alchemy, Professor Gibbins had ran outside and coaxed ten fireworks into our room and closed the door, calling for Umbridge to get rid of them. He had us continue our lab on the side, putting a protective spell that created a boundary that the fireworks could not fast. I really couldn't concentrate on vanishing fire with dirt while Umbridge screamed and multiplied the fireworks as Fred had hoped she would.

"They were wonderful fireworks," Hermione stated that night.

"Thanks," George said smugly. "Weasley's Wildfire Whiz Bangs. Only thing is, we used our whole stock, we're going yo have to start again from scratch now."

"It was worth it though," Fred said. "If you want to add your name to the waiting list, Hermione, it's five Galleons for your Basic Blaze Box and twenty for Deflagration Deluxe..."

"I'll take the Deflagration Deluxe," I said happily, handing them twenty Galleons. I intended to release these right outside of her office.

"Lucky to have such a loyal customer," Fred said with a grin.

"Oh why don't we have a night off?" Hermione asked brightly. Harry, Ron, and I gaped at her.

"After all Easter holidays start on Friday, we'll have plenty of time then-"

"Are you alright?" Ron asked.

"Now that you mention it, I think I'm feeling a bit rebellious," Hermione said.

She bought a Basic Blaze Box after that.

After dinner the next day, Harry asked if I could accompany him to Occlumency. I did, and unfortunately we ran into Draco.

"Ah, Potter," Draco said, ignoring me entirely.

"Don't say anything," I warned Harry. He made a face and Draco smirked.

"That'll be five points from Gryffindor, Potter," he said triumphantly. I noticed Harry gritting his teeth.

"Are you so deprived in your sexual life that this is how you pleasure yourself?" I asked icily. Harry snorted and burst out laughing. Draco stared at me coldly.

"That's what I thought," I snapped, slipping my hand into Harry's and walking away.

"I'm not a virgin, you know!" Draco snarled.

"Like hell you aren't. Who would you lose it to, Goyle?" I snapped as I turned to face him. Draco turned pink.

"Five points from Ravenclaw, Romano!" He spat.

"Go ahead! You're just angry because it's true," I retorted.

"You're just angry because you know you screwed up! You hate it when people defeat you in arguments!"

"And you hate to get called out! Was taking points from my house REALLY your only defense?"

"Was Potter REALLY your replacement for me? You downgraded so much, Romano."

I tightened my jaw, my fists balling up.

"I think," I said slowly, "that it was in fact, an upgrade."

Draco stared at me. I turned to Harry.

"Just go with it," I mumbled as I grabbed his face and pressed my lips onto his. I heard Draco scoff and leave. I disconnected from Harry and smirked.

"At least you weren't crying," Harry said. I laughed and we kept walking.

Then of course, we ran into Cho. She looked sullen, almost depressed.

"Hey!" She said to us.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked her. "Umbridge hasn't been asking you about the DA has she?"

"Oh no," Cho said quickly. "It was only...well I wanted to say...Harry I never dreamed Marietta would tell."

I snorted a bit. Cho shot me a nasty look. Ah, she was directing this to Harry only.

"Yeah well," Harry said flatly.

"She's a lovely person really! She just made a mistake-"

"A lovely person who made a mistake? She sold us all out, including you!" Harry snapped.

"Well we all got away, didn't we?" Cho said. "You know her mum works for the Ministry, it's really difficult for her-"

"Ron's dad works for the Ministry too! Jules' mother worked for them as well! In case you haven't noticed, neither of them have got 'sneak' written on their faces," Harry said angrily. Cho made a face.

"That was a really horrible trick of Hermione Granger's. She should have told us she jinxed that list-"

"Actually Cho, I jinxed the list," I said fiercely. Cho stared at me incredulously.

"You?" She snarled.

"Yes me. And I'm glad I did too, to expose what a rat Marietta was!" I said fiercely.

"And I think it was a brilliant idea," Harry said defensively. Cho stared at us both and suddenly looked down, seeing our hands still linked. She scoffed.

"Oh ho ho, Harry. So first it's darling Hermione and now darling Juliana-"

"Don't start crying again," he said warningly.

"I wasn't going to!" She yelled.

"Good! I've got enough to cope with at the moment!" Harry said.

"Go cope with it then!" She said furiously as she stalked off, spitting out more vulgar words.

"Sorry I ruined your relationship with her," I said quietly. Harry turned to face me.

"Not your fault. She was too jealous to begin with. Besides, I think we both got rid of toxic people and found someone better," Harry said. I stared at him and my eyes widened.

Then he kissed me.


	22. Chapter 22

Snape kicked Harry out of Occlumency lessons and he only told me the truth about that, telling Hermione and Ron that "he reckons I can carry on by myself now I've got the basics." What a little snake.

Then Ron discovered that we only had six weeks left until exams.

"How can that come as a shock?" Hermione asked sharply.

"There's been a lot going on..." he said.

Hermione tapped his schedule with her wand, setting a plan for him to follow.

"That's for Quidditch practice," Hermione said.

"What's the point of that? We've got as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister of Magic," Ron said miserably.

"Stop being so pessimistic," I said. Ron sighed and put his head down.

Harry told Hermione and Ron about the row he had with Cho in the hallway the other day. This of course lead to Ron and I going into a joint rant about how much we despised Marietta Edgecombe and it later became a heated debate over what we should do for revenge first. Hermione stopped us by spilling ink on my assignment and making me actually pay attention to it.

Later in the Ravenclaw Common Room I noticed a sign for us to meet with Professor Flitwick to discuss future careers. I was set to meet him at 3pm on Monday. What did I even want to be? Hermione would be taking none of my "I don't know" nonsense so I had to come up with something quickly.

"Well I don't fancy Healing," Ron said. "Says here you need at least an E in NEWT level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. I mean blimey, don't want much do they?"

"I don't suppose it's because they're healing people," I said sarcastically.

"You don't seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles- all they want is an OWL in Muggle Studies. It says that a good sense of fun, enthusiasm, and patience is the most crucial," Hermione said.

"That'd be a very silly job," I said.

"Plus you'd need more than a good sense of fun to liaise with my uncle," Harry said. I laughed. "More like a good sense of when to duck."

"What do you want to be, Jules?" Hermione asked.

"I dunno, maybe an Auror or a Lawyer," I said.

Fred and George popped up behind us.

"Ginny's had a word with us about you Harry," Fred said. "Says you need to talk to Sirius?"

"Yeah-"

"Don't be so ridiculous!" Hermione said. "With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?"

"Well we don't need to send letters," I said.

"Exactly. A simple matter of causing diversion perhaps. You might have noticed that we've been rather quiet on mayhem front during the Easter holidays?" George asked.

"What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting lecture time? No point at all, we answered ourselves. And of course we'd have messed up people's studying too, which would be the very last thing we'd want to do," Fred said. He gave Hermione and I a sanctimonious nod. I beamed.

"Yes but still, even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?" Hermione asked.

"Umbridge's office," I said immediately. They all turned to stare at me.

"Are you insane?" Hermione hissed.

"Perhaps. Her fire won't be monitored," I said.

"I can get in with Sirius' knife! The one that'll open any lock. So even if she's bewitched the door so Alohomora won't work, which I bet she has-" Harry began.

"What do you think about this?" Hermione demanded to Ron.

"I think Jules made a good suggestion and if Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?" Ron said. Hermione gaped at us.

"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley," Fred said proudly as he clapped Ron on the back. "Right then, we're thinking of doing it tomorrow just after lessons because it should cause maximum impact if everyone's in the corridors. Harry we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her own office- I reckon we should be able to guarantee you what, twenty minutes?"

"Easy," George confirmed.

"What sort of diversion?" Ron and I asked at once.

"You'll see, little bro," Fed said.

"At least you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor round about five o'clock tomorrow," George said.

Of course Hermione reprimanded us harshly when the twins had gone.

"If she DOES catch you there, apart from being expelled, she'll be able to guess you've been talking to Snuffles and this time I expect she'll force you to drink the Veritaserum and answer her question," Hermione said.

"Are you going to stop telling Harry off and listen to Binns, or am I going to have to take notes instead?" Ron asked. I giggled as Hermione shot him a look.

"You try taking notes for a change, it won't kill you!" She snapped. I looked at Ron, trying not to burst out laughing.

In Potions we brewed another potion and of course I finished first. I sat there at my desk, waiting for Harry to finish. He did and he was going to take it up when Draco "dropped it" and smashed it all over the floor.

"Why you little scumbag-"

"Miss Romano I will have to ask you to control your mouth!" Snape said.

"He dropped Harry's Potion!" I snapped, grabbing Draco by the collar of his shirt.

"Release him at once, Miss Romano!" Snape said sharply. "And that will be another zero, Potter."

I dropped Draco and huffed, turning back to my desk.

Hermione had accidentally cleaned Harry's potion up, leaving him with nothing. He was not pleased.

Later that day, I met Professor Flitwick in his office for my meeting.

Umbridge was there, observing.

"Ah Miss Romano! Please sit," Flitwick said warmly. I smiled at him, pretending I hadn't even seen Umbridge.

"Well, what career ideas do you have?" He prompted.

"I was thinking Auror or Lawyer," I said.

I heard Umbridge giggle a bit.

"Top grades will be necessary for Auror. A minimum of five NEWTs and nothing under Exceeds Expectations. Then you would be required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror Office. It is a difficult career path, Miss Romano. I don't think anybody has been taken on in the last three years. As for Lawyer, well not as many NEWTs in fact you only need three. The career path is not as difficult but if you chose Auror you could apply for both positions if you'd like. Once you qualify for Auror you could go into anything with law. I DO suggest you choose Auror even if you have a higher inclination for Lawyer. It is quite beneficial," Flitwick said.

"I can do it," I said confidently. "What subjects do I take?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts of course-" Umbridge coughed. "-Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, perhaps even a Herbology if you'd like. Alchemy will be very helpful, you could become a top Auror with that knowledge. You have an O in every class, you are quite prepared for this path, I'd say-" Umbridge coughed again.

"Are you sick, Dolores? I could make you a tea," Flitwick offered.

"Oh no thank you Filius. I was just concerned that you might not have Juliana's most recent Defense Against the Dark Arts marks in front of you. I'm quite sure I slipped in a note," Umbridge said. I scowled as Flitwick pulled out a note that read "D."

"Well anyways Miss Romano-"

"Did you not understand my note, Filius? She simply cannot be given false hope of becoming an Auror with such poor grades in my class," Umbridge said.

"She has always had O's in all her classes even Defense from Beauxbatons-"

"She is not qualified! The Ministry would never hire her-"

"She is more than qualified, in fact I would hire her on the spot if I worked in the Auror Office!" Flitwick said. Umbridge's jaw tightened. I was dismissed.

"Umbridge is in a bad mood already, Harry," Hermione noticed during Defense.

"My fault," I said.

"And mine," Harry added.

"How?" Ron asked.

"She sat in my interview and McGonagall told her off," Harry said.

"Likewise, Flitwick countered everything she said bad about me," I said.

"Oh Harry, Jules, don't go along with it!" Hermione pleaded.

When class ended we strode to our positions. I was supposed to be the diversion to get Umbridge out of her classroom. I scurried over to the east wing to meet Fred and George.

"Did you make the spell?" Fred asked.

"Yep, I don't know how I managed but a formula to work around your chemistry has made it 100% certain that I can manipulate the fireworks without them multiplying," I said. George beamed.

They released more fireworks. I made a big show of running into one and screaming as they all zoomed around me. I waved my wand discreetly and the fireworks began to surround the hall, zooming around more students, though none were being attacked.

Fred and George then created a swamp that began to grow where the process began and seeped up and down the halls. My shoes got trapped in it but I still continued to scream as the fireworks shot around the hall.

We were all screaming at this point, and Umbridge came over. Seeing me in the commotion laughing and screaming, she came and gripped me by the shoulders.

"Hey!" I cried.

She shook me so hard I felt my brain rattling inside my skull like crazy. She would've shook me to death too, if Fred hadn't yanked me out of her grasp.

"Leave her alone!" George snarled.

"I will not have this child releasing more fireworks in my school!" Umbridge yelled as she reached for me again.

"She didn't do it! We did!" Fred said triumphantly.

"Fred!" I cried. Umbridge stared devilishly at them.

"So you think it's amusing to turn the school corridor into a swamp and firework fest, do you?" Umbridge snarled. I noticed Harry had now joined the crowd that was watching. I waved my wand and the fireworks sand into the swamp.

"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred said fearlessly.

Filch suddenly appeared, smiling gleefully at Umbridge.

"I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting. Oh let me do it now!" He said.

"Very good Argus," she said sweetly. "You two are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers at my school," Umbridge said.

"You know what? I don't think we are," Fred said. Umbridge stared at them furiously.

"George, I think we've outgrown full time education," Fred announced.

"Yeah I've been feeling that way myself," George said lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" Fred asked.

"Definitely," George said with a wide grin.

"Accio Brooms!" They cried together.

A loud crash was heard and their brooms came soaring through the corridor, landing in their hands.

"We won't be seeing you soon," George said.

"Don't bother to keep in touch," Fred said as he climbed onto his broom. We all watched in silence.

"If anyone wants to buy a Portable Swamp as demonstrated upstairs and here, come to number ninety three, Diagon Alley- Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes," George said, "our new premises.

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," Fred said proudly.

"STOP THEM!" Umbridge snarled.

Her Inquisitorial Squad burst forward and nearly got Fred and George but they kicked off the floor and began flying near the ceiling. Peeves the Poltergeist began cackling.

"Give her hell from us Peeves!" Fred and George yelled as they whooped and flew out the open front doors of the school.

Peeves gave them a salute. Umbridge had never looked so angry. She stared angrily at me, gripping me again my the shoulders and shaking me as hard as she could for all to see.

"You had something to do with this!" She screeched angrily. My teeth were rattling against each other. She threw me against the floor and I skidded, hitting my head on the wall. There were loud gasps.

I tried to stand up but everything spun. My legs turned to jelly and I collapsed, my vision beginning to blur.

"Professor Umbridge don't do that," I heard someone say.

Someone grabbed my arm, lifting me up. I felt the same person lift me to carry me bridal style, leading me who knows where. I fainted a bit after that.

When I woke up I was in the Hospital Wing with a cold towel on my forehead.

"Oh Juliana you've woken up," Madame Pomfrey said, fussing over me.

"How bad was it?" I croaked.

"You had a pretty bad concussion, I was afraid your brain was too damaged and we'd need to send you to St Mungo's for a check up," she said frantically.

"Naw, you're a good matron I would've been fine," I said, trying to sit up and seeing the whole world spin.

"Oh no don't try and do that yet. I am flattered though," she said, beaming at me.

"Who brought me?" I asked, touching the back of my head and feeling a tender spot.

"Your boyfriend of course," she said.

"Oh alright. Glad Umbridge didn't hurt him," I said.

"She wouldn't, isn't he part of the Inquisitorial Squad?" Madame Pomfrey asked.

"Wait what?" I asked her.

"Draco Malfoy, sweetie," she said. My eyes widened.

"Oh no not HIM. He's not my boyfriend anymore- he betrayed me," I said. Madame Pomfrey nodded.

"Well he was the one that brought you in. Seems to me he still likes you," she said.

"He does not," I said with a scoff.

"I can read people's expressions dear. He's been coming in and out these past few days-"

"DAYS? I've been out for days?" I asked frantically.

"Yes, did I not mention that? Must've slipped my mind. Yes he's been holding your hand and talking to you for the past three days. He still likes you," she said. I nearly fainted again.

"Harry Potter came in also, equally worried. He seems to like you too," Madame Pomfrey noticed.

"Huh," I said.

Draco Malfoy still liked me, but I did not like him.


	23. Chapter 23

Fred and George's escape to freedom became a monumental success in terms of being an iconic catchphrase. Now whenever we had shitty lessons, someone would threaten to "pull a Weasley."

Unfortunately, they weren't around to see it.

The teachers could have easily removed the swamp but refused to do so, instead preferring to watch Umbridge struggle.

It seemed that thanks to their show, everyone had become a prankster. Umbridge and Filch were being pranked double time and of course Harry and I stayed out of it per Hermione's request but I can't say I didn't help out with dipping every paper on her desk in syrup.

Even McGonagall had pitched it. One day Harry and I were late to Herbology and saw Peeves unscrewing a lightbulb and we swear McGonagall said "it unscrews the other way."

I hadn't spoken to Draco because he'd been avoiding me, although I had been trying to thank him.

Aside from that, Montague had been recovered from the Vanishing Cabinet or toilet, wherever the hell they found him. Hermione wanted to say something but we didn't show any enthusiasm for it.

"When Mum's next letter finally gets through Umbridge's screening process, I'm going to be in deep trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if she's sent a Howler again," Ron said miserably.

"Why would she?" I asked.

"It'll be my fault Fred and George left, you wait," he groaned. "She'll say I should've stopped them leaving. I should've grabbed the ends of their brooms and hung on or something. Yeah it'll be my fault..."

"Well if she does say that it'll be unfair. You couldn't have done anything... but I'm sure she won't I mean if they really do have premises in Diagon Alley they must've been planning this for ages," I said.

"Yeah how did they get those premises anyway? It's a bit dodgy isn't it? They'd need loads of Galleons to afford the rent on a place in Diagon Alley and she'll want to know what they've been up to, to get their hands on that sort of gold..."

Harry had already told me about giving them his Triwizard Winnings, so I was not concerned.

"I was wondering whether Mundungus has persuaded them to sell stolen goods or something awful," Hermione said worriedly.

"He hasn't," Harry confirmed.

"How do you know?" Hermione and Ron asked. Harry blushed, not wanting to speak.

"Harry gave them his Triwizard winnings last June," I announced. Hermione and Ron gawked at him.

"Oh Harry you didn't!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I did and I don't regret it either. I didn't need the gold and they'll be great at a joke shop," Harry said.

"But this is excellent! It's all your fault, Harry, Mum can't blame me at all," Ron said. He looked at Harry almost with puppy eyes. "Can I tell her?"

"I suppose you'd better. Specially if she thinks they're receiving stolen cauldrons or something," Harry said.

"And Harry- you can't tell me you've stopped having funny dreams," Hermione blurted out. Harry looked confused. "Ron told me that last night you were muttering in your sleep."

Ron grinned sheepishly as Harry threw him a nasty look.

"You were only muttering a bit, something about 'just a bit farther'" Ron said. Harry rolled his eyes.

"I dreamed I was watching you lot play Quidditch," Harry said a bit harshly. "Jules was about to score on you Ron and I was trying to get you to stretch out a bit farther to grab the Quaffle."

He looked at me and I knew he was lying.

"You ARE trying to block your mind aren't you?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "You are keeping going with your Occlumency?"

"Of course I am," Harry said. I doubted it.

"You know, if Montague doesn't recover before Slytherin play Hufflepuff, Gryffindor might have a chance of winning the Cup," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I suppose so," Harry said.

"We've won one, lost one," Ron said. "If Slytherin lose to Hufflepuff next Saturday-"

"-and you beat Ravenclaw," I added.

"Then perhaps-" Ron continued.

"Yeah that's right," Harry mumbled. I looked to where he was facing and saw Cho Chang walking by, not daring to look at us.

"Ignore her Harry," I said icily.

"Can I talk to you, Jules?" He asked suddenly.

"Sure," I said, getting up. He got up as well and led me to the hallway.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Is it bad I feel angry with Cho?" Harry asked.

"Not really, she wasn't understanding about how you felt with what Marietta did. She was inconsiderate- it makes sense," I said.

"And what's more I feel bad that I almost deceived you. I kissed you out of anger with Cho and I feel that was wrong," he said.

"Well I kissed you out of anger with Draco so it's even," I said.

"I don't want there to be complications with us, I like staying friends," Harry said.

"Right right, we're just friends. I don't like you that way, more as a brother," I said.

"Exactly, I see you as a sister. So let's continue to 'date' yes but just to spite Draco and Cho," Harry said.

"Most definitely," I agreed. There was a pause.

"Do you think you'll ever get back with Draco?" Harry asked. I pursed my lips.

"I feel like honestly I would," I admitted. "He betrayed me but honestly, that's how we was raised. I suppose if he hadn't then his father would've MURDERED him. He is still very kind when he wants to be and did try to apologize....I think maybe I've been too harsh with him but I don't know. I don't want to risk him hurting me again because once someone hurts you, they're bound to do it again."

"Look Jules I'm not going to tell you what to do. As Harry, I don't like Draco and I never will. As your friend, I know he made you really happy and treated you very well with the exception of siding with Umbridge which- I do think- couldn't be helped. I've met his dad and he basically wants Draco to be just like him. His dad's a Death Eater," Harry said.

"I deduced that," I sighed. "I just don't want to be making a mistake. I really liked him and he's amazing to me but not the best person to everyone else."

"Do you feel as though you could change him?" Harry asked. "Because that might be why you dated him in the first place."

"Not really, honestly. I genuinely was attracted to him for being him. Sure I wished he was nicer to all of you but I never thought I could change him," I said. Harry nodded and I sighed.

The final match came about that Saturday. Slytherin was indeed defeated by Hufflepuff which got Ron's hopes soaring for a fragment of time.

"I mean, I can't get any worse can I? Nothing to lose now," Ron said.

"I suppose not," I said. Ron left after that, more confident.

"I think Ron might do better without Fred and George around. They never exactly gave him a lot of confidence," Hermione said.

"I sure hope so. I made him a sign again, we can hold it," I announced. Luna rushed past me dressed as a giant eagle.

"Cho will be playing, won't she?" Hermione asked.

"I suppose so, thought I wouldn't know for certain. She hasn't spoken to Celeste, Seo Jin and I. Apparently they told Marietta off in the dorm the other night and had a row with both her and Cho," I said.

"Are Seo Jin and Celeste cheering for Ravenclaw?" Harry asked.

"Seo Jin isn't because Anthony and Michael Corner had a fight. Celeste is because Gideon is playing," I said.

We took our seats in our normal spot, Seo Jin and Anthony coming to sit near us. Celeste was holding a sign she'd made for Gideon.

Lee Jordan's commentary was much less spirited since Fred and George's departure. I almost went to help him with it.

"And they're off! Davies takes the Quaffle immediately, Ravenclaw Captain Davies with the Quaffle, he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, he dodges Spinnet as well, he's going straight for the goal! He's going to shoot, and and and...he's scored."

A huge groan erupted from the Gryffindor side and the Ravenclaws cheered as the Slytherins continued singing "Weasley Is Our King."

"Harry...Hermione," a hoarse voice whispered. It was Hagrid.

He took them to see something and honestly I was sort of cross I wasn't invited and that they were missing Ron's game, but I simply breathed it off and sat closer to Seo Jin, who was eating Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.

"Chang dives- oh it's fluke she didn't see anything sorry Cho. Davies back with the Quaffle, passes to Bradley, Bradley slips past Spinnet, drops the Quaffle- caught by Bell! Bell dodges Devonshire- oops Devonshire gets hit in the head with a Bludger by Kirke- Bell passes to Johnson, Johnson with the Quaffle she's right there! Corner moves to block- she SCORES!"

Seo Jin and I shot up out of our seats and screamed as Michael Corner punched the air angrily after missing the catch. I turned and saw Ron wiping sweat from his brow.

"GO RON!" I screamed. He waved sheepishly in my direction, not noticing Harry and Hermione weren't there.

"Davies back with the Quaffle, Bell intercepts- another interception by Devonshire, passes to Bradley, Bradley dodges a Bludger AND Spinnet, heading to score...cmon Ron..."

"GO RON! GO RON!" Seo Jin, Anthony, and I screamed. I saw Ron breathe deeply. Bradley made his shot-

"UNBELIEVABLE! HE BLOCKS IT WITH HIS FOOT! Quaffle back to Bell-"

Seo Jin spilled all her jelly beans in the commotion of cheering for Ron. I screamed and hugged her, almost knocking Anthony over.

After that it only got better. Ron began saving goal after goal after goal and the Raenclaw Chasers had gotten their ego beaten down so much that they were dropping the Quaffle. Angelina and Alicia were scoring so much thanks to Katie who kept catching it whenever Davies or Gideon dropped it. Seo Jin and I were going wild and soon Celeste joined us, occasionally throwing in a "go Gideon!" Halfheartedly.

The last minute of the game was the most intense by far. Just as Ron blocked Davies from scoring, Ginny and Cho both dived down to get the Snitch. Ginny caught it from right under her nose and everyone went wild.

The Slytherins were no longer singing, but we were.

"WEASLEY IS OUR KING!

WEASLEY IS OUR KING!

HE DIDN'T LET THE QUAFFLE IN,

WEASLEY IS OUR KING!"

Seo Jin and I sang at the top of our lungs and joined the many Gryffindors that we're carrying Ron on their shoulders. Harry and Hermione appeared from the side.

"HARRY HERMIONE! WE WON!" Ron yelled.

Seo Jin and I ran to hug them.

"Oh I'm so angry you missed it!" I said to Harry as I hugged him.

He beamed. Hermione frowned.

"We'll save our news for tomorrow," Hermione said. I nodded as we went to join the crowd.

Ron had really just helped Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup and Harry and Hermione hadn't seen.


	24. Chapter 24

“He brought one back and hid it in the forest?” I asked with a squeaky voice. 

“Yep,” Harry said grimly.

“He CAN’T have,” Ron said.

“Well he has. Grawp’s about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty foot pine trees, and knows me as HERMY,” Hermione said.

I snorted and Ron let out a nervous laugh.

“And Hagrid wants us to...” I said.

“Teach him English,” Harry said.

“Of course!” I said. 

“He’s lost his marbles,” Ron mumbled.

“Yes, I’m starting to think he has. Unfortunately Harry and I promised,” Hermione said. 

“Well you’re just going to have to break your promise,” Ron said firmly. “I mean cmon, we’ve got exams and remember Norbert? Aragog? Have we ever come off better for mixing with any of Hagrid’s monster mates?” Ron ssked.

“It’s just that we promised,” Hermione said quietly. 

“Well Hagrid hasn’t been sacked yet, has he? He’s hung on this long maybe he’ll hang on til the end of the term and we won’t have to go near Grawp at all,” Ron said. 

OWLs were approaching rapidly and we were getting less homework from every class except Alchemy.

“If any of you expect to scrape at least an A on the test we cannot slack off yet,” Professor Gibbins said. 

Aaron Boot kept cursing he was about to drop out and Draco was just not putting effort. If he didn’t try harder he was going to fail for certain.

“I’ve just accepted the fact that I’m stupid,” he said, mostly to Aaron but also to me. I sighed and continued doing my assignment. 

What’s worse, Ernie Macmillan had taken up to inquiring about everyone’s study habits and I was being honest but also making myself look like I didn’t care about the exams. 

“How many hours of studying do you think you’re doing a day?” Ernie asked. 

“Less than eight,” Ron said.

“I’m doing eight,” Ernie said.

“I’m doing about four,” I said sheepishly. Even Hermione had stared at me like I was mad. 

“As you can see,” Flitwick announced to us early one Thursday morning, “your OWLs are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit theory exams in the mornings and the practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night.”

“I’m going to kill myself,” Seo Jin had groaned.

“Now I must warn you that the most stringent Anti Cheating Charms have been applied to your examination papers. Auto Answer Quills are banned as are Remembralls...”

I wasn’t even paying attention. I wasn’t going to cheat anyway, that was beneath me. 

“- our new Headmistress-“

I was snapped back into focus.

“-has asked the Heads of House to tell their students that cheating will be punished most severely because of course, your examination results will reflect upon the headmistress’ new regime at the school. However-“ Flitwick looked at Celeste and I who were rolling our eyes, “that is no reason not to do your very best. You have your futures to think about.”

“When do we get our results?” Seo Jin asked loudly.

“An owl will be sent in July,” Flitwick said.

My exam schedule was insane.

On Monday I had Charms, Tuesday Transfiguration, Wednesday Herbology, Thursday Defense Against the Dark Arts, Friday Ancient Runes, next Monday Potions, Tuesday Alchemy, Wednesday Arithmancy, Thursday Astronomy, and Friday History of Magic. 

Later that day, Draco came up to me.

“Juliana Romano, I’ve been a dick and I’m so sorry and I know this will feel like I’m using you but I have GOT to pass the Alchemy test,” Draco said. I raised my eyebrow.

“Your point?” I asked. 

“I need your help! Please! I understand if you don’t want to help me but Aaron said no and Gibbons isn’t helping me either,” Draco said. I sighed. 

“Fine,” I said.

That weekend was spent in absolute havoc studying. Draco and I spent all of Saturday in the library reviewing terminology and methodology for Alchemy and at the end I think his confidence and understanding shot up by a lot but I was exhausted. He helped me study theory for Charms because apparently he was a wizard at it but didn’t care to admit it. It was very symbiotic and I believe both of us are more prepared.

“Thank you,” Draco said curtly at the end of the day. 

“You’re welcome,” I replied, yawning and resting my head on the table. I began to doze off, barely paying attention to the speech Draco had begun reciting quietly. 

“...and I really wish I could take back everything I’ve done because I really really like you Jules and I never stopped liking you. I’ve been lost without you. I KNOW you don’t even really like Potter and that makes me even angrier because he’s with you, touching you, kissing you, and I can’t do that even if I want to so much. I’m sorry, Jules,” he finished.

“I forgive you,” I said with an even louder yawn. I didn’t need to hear everything to know he was truly sorry. I fell asleep after that and woke up in my bed. I assumed perhaps Draco carried me there and possibly even got into the Ravenclaw Common Room. 

Monday came and exams began. I think I did brilliant in Charms and Transfiguration on the first two days. Harry and Ron were not as confident but I knew they’d done just fine.

Wednesday and Friday’s tests were the easiest by far. Thursday during the practical examination for Defense Against the Dark Arts, I left Umbridge dumbstruck as I aced all the spells they asked me to perform. 

“You did very very well Miss Romano!” Professor Tofty said for Umbridge to hear. 

“Thank you! Couldn’t have done it without Professor Umbridge,” I said loudly, beaming at her. She flared her nostrils at me as I skipped out of the exam. 

By the next Monday after the Potions exam, Hermione was in an extremely bad mood and was taking it out on us.

“Oi Hermione you’re such a lovely, sweet-tempered girl,” Ron had said sarcastically, quietly so she wouldn’t hear. I’d snickered.

“At least we’ve only got four exams left,” Celeste had said, almost as dreamily as Luna.

“Only! I’ve got Arithmancy and it’s probably the toughest subject there is!” Hermione snapped.

“Calm down Hermione I’ve got Arithmancy too and I’ve got Alchemy, you’ve nothing to complain about,” I retorted back. 

“I’m so frustrated with all this testing!” Hermione growled.

“You think we’re not? You’re going to do fine, stop taking all tour worries out on us!” I said brusquely. She had huffed and gone to her room. 

I felt I’d done fine on the Potions test and wasn’t too worried about the Alchemy test. 

Tuesday came and I think it went really well. Aaron Boot was fidgeting during the whole test and the Professor Foy who was administering the exam kept watch on him, which I believe only made him more nervous.

I flew through the theory exam easily but that afternoon with the practical exam I had a bit of difficulty trying to start with fire and end with water when we’d hardly practiced it in class. We had an hour and I barely managed to get it done, whereas Draco and Aaron simply did not finish. 

“I think I did ok,” Draco said. 

“Well you got further into the lab than Aaron and you did it right. I know you had all the knowledge necessary for the theory part I’d say you definitely passed,” I said.

“Easy for you to say, you’ve obviously gotten an O,” Draco said.

“Which insinuates that I know how to tell if someone is going to pass,” I said. Draco rolled his eyes but smirked.

“Thanks again,” he said.

“No problem,” I replied. 

Draco came closer, standing in front of me.

“Is there any way we could go back to the way we were?” He whispered. I looked up at him, pursing my lips.

“In time maybe. Look, I’m not trying to change you, I like you for you. I just need you to be honest with me,” I said. Draco nodded.

“I don’t want to be but inevitably I still am in the Inquisitorial Squad. If I could help you in any way I will, I won’t let Umbridge hurt you again,” he promised. 

“Alright Draco,” I said, smiling a bit. He leaned down to kiss my lips but I turned my head so he’d kiss my cheek.

“Not yet,” I whispered. He nodded and smiled grimly, turning to walk away.

Thursday came and weary as we were, we strode at eleven to the Astronomy Tower to take our test. 

“I’m,” I yawned, “positively EXHAUSTED.” 

“I second that,” Hermione said grumpily. 

During the examination, I noticed something strange. Umbridge was walking around in the grounds. I was past midnight! She was up to no good. I saw that Harry was looking too, and I flashed him a look. 

Professor Marchbanks came behind me. 

“Are you done, Miss Romano?” He inauired. 

“Yes sir. Just observing the scene below,” I said. He peered over and noticed Umbridge. Apparently he must’ve thought it was peculiar too because he cocked an eyebrow.

“Concentrate now boys and girls,” Professor Tofty said as there was a shout and a bang. 

I nearly screamed as I noticed six people trying to stun Hagrid.

“No!” Hermione cried.

“My dear this is an examination!” He said.

“What are they doing?” I said. Hagrid was howling and he threw lifted one of the people and threw him. 

“Look it’s McGonagall!” Hermione cried. 

“How dare you!” McGonagall snarled at the figures.

“I can’t watch!” Hermione said. No one was paying attention to the test anymore.

“Leave him alone! Alone I say!” McGonagall yelled.

Four stunning spells shot her in the chest, knocking her over.

Hermione, Seo Jin, Celeste, and I screamed loudly. Professor Tofty and Professor Marchbanks started yelling too. 

Umbridge and the stunners chased Hagrid, who made it to the gates and disappeared into the darkness. 

The next morning at breakfast, it was all we were talking about.

“That evil woman!” I snarled.

“Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!” Hermione gasped, crying. 

“She must’ve wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney’s,” Ron deduced.

“Why sack Hagrid now?” Hermione asked worriedly.

“Umbridge hates part humans!” I snapped. Katie Bell and Lee Jordan heard, coming over.

“She thought Hagrid was putting nifflers in her office!” Katie said.

“Oh blimey that’s been me since Fred and George left!” Lee said. 

“She’d have sacked him anyway,” Dean Thomas said grimly.

“I hope Professor McGonagall’s alright,” I said, forcing myself not to tear up.

“Madam Pomfrey will sort her out!” Katie said. “She’s never failed yet.”

That day the History of Magic test would conclude our OWL testing. I was nervous but I doubted anyone was more nervous than Harry and Ron. 

It turns out, the test was quite easy.

“In your opinion, did wand legislation contribute to, or lead to better control of, goblin riots of the eighteenth century?” 

Yes of course it did because without it, the goblins would never have felt threatened enough to cease the riots. 

“How was the Statute of Secrecy breached in 1749 and what measures were introduced to prevent a recurrence?”

It had been an inside job. They started doing more intense background checks and having Aurors crime scan the employers in charge.

The test was finally over with by 11am and I’d never felt more overjoyed when it was over.

“I think I did brilliant,” Ernie Macmillan said.

“You keep telling yourself that,” I said jokingly. 

“Ah, we get it Jules you got an O on every test,” he said. 

“If I did I’ll buy myself a Butterbeer,” I told him.

”You should try Firewhiskey-“

”I HAVE tried Firewhiskey-“

”Not with a speck of Butterbeer you haven’t-“

”That’s DISGUSTING Macmillan-“

”Jules?” A voice interrupted.

I whipped around to face Draco who was very very close to me. The instant I turned around my nose had collided with his chin.

”Hi,” he said with a smirk. He looked hot today. What was it? Oh, the messy hair. 

“Malfoy,” Ernie said coldly.

”It’s ok Ernie,” I said. He huffed and walked away.

”Come with me, I want to show you something,” he said.

”It’s getting late,” I whined.

”Even better,” he said.

”But I’m exhausted...” 

He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. Laughing, I slapped his back lightly.

”Put me down!” I giggled.

”Well you’re too tired to walk but I want to show you something,” Draco said. He carried me all across school and up to the Astronomy tower.

”I’m getting bad flashbacks from the exams,” I said. Draco smirked and let me down. 

He walked up to the edge and looked over. I walked and stood next to him, gasping loudly. 

“That is so beautiful,” I murmured. 

Th sunset was painted across the sky as never seen before. On the top where it was purple the stars had come out. Then the colors went purple, blue, light blue, yellow, orange, pink all the way down. 

“I knew you’d like it. This only happens every decade when the sun stays a few minutes too late and the starts start to come out,” Draco said. I scoffed.

”And you say you’re not good at Astronomy,” I said with a smirk. He grinned and put his arm around me. 

“You look beautiful,” he whispered. I blushed almost as pink as the colors in the sky. 

“And you look handsome,” I said. He smiled and smoothed his hair back.

”I might wear it like this more often if you like it so much,” he said. I nodded excitedly. He looked me in the eyes and leaned in. 

It was cliché, I know, but I let him kiss me and I even kissed him back.

”Can I be your boyfriend again, Jules?” Draco whispered against my lips as he pulled away.

”Yes, Draco.”


	25. Chapter 25

When I returned to the Gryffindor Common Room to speak with the trio, I found Hermione, Harry, and Ron weren’t there. After about ten minutes of searching, I found them in an empty classroom. Hermione and Ron were staring at Harry, whose head was in his hands.

“What happened?” I asked frantically. 

“He won’t tell us!” Hermione said. 

“Harry you’re scaring us, what happened?” I asked quietly.

“Are you ill?” Hermione said worriedly.

“Voldemort’s got Sirius,” Harry blurted out. I wanted to faint.

“How do you know?” I asked.

“Just now, when I fell asleep during the exam,” Harry said.

“I thought you were blocking this out!” Hermione said.

“Not important Hermione- Harry what did you see?” I asked.

“It’s in a room in the Department of Mysteries full of shelves covered in lttle glass balls. At the end of row ninety seven...he’s trying to use Sirius to get whatever he wants from in there..he was torturing him! Says he’ll end by killing him!” Harry said.

We were silent for a second.

“Well how are we going to get there?” Harry asked.

“Get there?” Ron asked.

“Get fo the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius!” Harry said. 

“But Harry we can’t go!” I said.

“How did Voldemort even get into there without anyone realizing?” Hermione asked, clearly frightened. 

“How do I know? The real question is how we’re going to get there!” Harry said. 

“How would Voldemort get Sirius in there unseen?” I asked. “The Aurors would have detected him!”

“Maybe he used an Invisibility Cloak or something!” Harry said icily. “Anyways the Department of Mysteries has always been completely empty whenever I’ve been-“ 

“You haven’t actually BEEN there,” I said.

“They’re just dreams!” Hermione said.

“They’re not normal dreams!” Harry shouted in our faces. “How do you explain Ron’s dad and Jules’ mum?” I felt a pang in my chest.

“Well he’s got a point-“ Ron said.

“It’s still so unlikely! You really don’t think they’d be seen?” I asked. 

“Harry, how on Earth could Voldemort have got hold of Sirius when he’s been in Grimmauld Place all the time?” Hermione asked.

“Maybe he wanted fresh air-“ 

“Why would Voldemort even WANT to use Sirius to get the weapon or whatever it is?” I asked snappishly.

“There could be loads of reasons! He doesn’t care if Sirius gets hurt!” Harry said.

“He doesn’t care if ANYONE gets hurt!” Hermione retorted.

“Sirius’ brother was a Death Eater, wasn’t he? Maybe he told Sirius the secret of how to get the weapon!” Ron said. I face palmed myself.

“It’s unlikely-“ I began.

“Yeah! That’s why Dumbledore wanted to keep Sirius locked up all the time!” Harry said.

“Look I’m sorry but you two aren’t making sense and we have no proof!” Hermione said.

“Harry’s seen him!” Ron said.

I stayed silent but Hermione went forward.

“This isn’t a criticism Harry but you do sort of have a ‘saving people thing’” Hermione said.

“Wait what?” I asked.

“You get carried away...like when you saved the Delacour girl during the Tournament,” Hermione said.

“That’s funny because I definitely remember Ron saying I wasted time acting the hero. You reckon I want to act like the hero again?” Harry asked with a trembling voice.

“Harry she’s not saying that!” I cried.

“Then spit it out because we’re wasting time!” He snapped.

“I’m trying to say, Voldemort KNOWS you Harry! He took Ginny into the Chamber to lure you there! He knows you’re the sorr of person who’d go to Sirius’ aid! What if he’s just trying to lure you there to hurt you-“ Hermione did not get to finish.

“Hermione it doesn’t matter! McGonagall is at St Mungos, there’s no one from the Order we can tell and if we don’t go then Sirius will die!” Harry yelled.

“What if it was just a dream?” I asked.

“It’s not just a dream!” Harry roared.

“You don’t have to get so angry! Not our bloody fault you couldn’t close your mind you know!” I snapped.

“I tried ok!” Harry snarled.

“Clearly you didn’t! This might not even be real!” I yelled back.

“It is! Voldemort has Sirius! I’m not going to just let my godfather die!” Harry said.

“I’m not wanting to let him die either but think, Harry, THINK! Voldemort KNOWS you’d want to save Sirius. He could plant fake images into your head if he wanted to! We can’t be certain it’s real!” I said fiercely.

“It is real! I saw it! I’m not crazy, Jules!” Harry said. 

“I never said you were but you could still be wrong, Harry! Sirius means a lot to me too!” I said.

“He’s not your godfather!” Harry said.

“Well he’s the only person that reminds me of my mum! He was JUST like her! Don’t you think I want to keep someone like that around? I’m an orphan too, in case you haven’t noticed!” I yelled, tears streaming out of my eyes. 

“Then you should agree we need to save him!” Harry said.

“I do agree but it’s irrational!” I wailed.

Ginny and Luna burst in.

“We recognized Harry and Jules’ voices- what are you yelling about?” Ginny inquired.

“Never you mind,” Harry spat.

“Don’t take that tone with me,” she said coolly. “We want to help.”

“Well you can’t,” Harry said flatly.

“They CAN help....” I mumbled, wiping my eyes.

”Jules is right! Let’s at least check if Sirius is home...” Hermione said.

“Sirius is being tortured NOW! We haven’t got time to waste!” Harry shouted.

“Voldemort could be tricking you!” I snarled. 

“How are we even going to check?” Harry asked.

“Umbridge’s fireplace of course,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Alright, someone can distract her while you go check!” Hermione said.

“We’ll help with keeping people away,” Ginny said, motioning to herself and Luna.

“I’ll tell her Peeves is up to something awful,” Ron said.

“I’ll go with Harry,” I said.

“Me too,” Hermione said.

Within five minutes we were ready.

“Everyone understand the plan?” I asked.

“Yes. Luna and I will lead everyone away saying someone let off a dungbomb,” Ginny recited.

“I’ll tell her Peeves is destroying the Transfiguration classroom,” Ron said.

“Jules and I are lookout while Harry contacts Grimmauld Place,” Hermione said. 

“Ok! Break!” I said.

Ginny and Luna scurried off. Ron followed closely behind. 

“Let’s go,” I said.

Harry walked out first, then Hermione. I followed discreetly.

“If Ron goes into position within ten seconds- which he should, then taking the hall by Medusa’s statue will get us to her office the fastest,” I deduced.

“But there’s foo many people there!” Hermione argued.

“We’ll have to risk it!” I said. Hermione reluctanctly agreed. 

Assuming Ron had already made it to his position, we set off scurrying down the hall. We got to the door of Umbridge’s office.

“She’s rigged it with some sort of jinx. I can undo it,” I said. 

“Get on it then,” Harry hissed.

I did not dare take longer than a minute to calculate the formula of the spell and cast the counterjinx.

“That should’ve worked,” I said when I opened the door.

“Alright. Grimmauld Place!” Harry said, sticking his head in the fire.

“Reckon she’ll believe Ron?” I asked Hermione.

“I sure hope so because-“

Harry’s head had been in the fireplace for less than a minute when Umbridge barged in, interrupting Hermione’s sentence.

I grabbed him and dragged him out. 

The Inquisitorial Squad filed in behind her. I saw Draco and I managed a small smile. He stared at me with worry, looking between Umbridge and I. 

“You think I wouldn’t find a way to know when there were more intruders?” Umbridge snarled. Then suddenly she faltered. 

“You’re not covered in boils,” she noticed.

“Finally grew some brains, have you?” I asked. She stared at me with huge loathing. 

“Nope. I disabled the spell,” I said.

“How...” Umbridge breathed angrily.

“Same way I made Marietta Edgecombe’s true colors- excuse the pun- be discovered,” I said. Umbridge’s eyes narrowed.

I stared at her coldly, emotionlessly.

“Take their wands,” Umbridge snapped to her Inquisitorial Squad members. Draco gently took my wand.

“It’s going to be ok,” he whispered. I dared not do more than smile. 

“I want to know why you are in my office,” Umbridge snarled, grabbing a fistful of Harry and I’s hair.

“Let go!” I snapped. She shook me and repeated the question.

“I was trying to get my Firebolt!” Harry said.

“Liar! You know your Firebolt is in the dungeons! With whom have you been communicating?” She asked.

“No one!” I shouted, trying to grab her hands. She shook me again.

“Liars!” She yelled, throwing Harry and I across the room. Draco caught me before I hit the desk and made a minimal effort to successfully stop Harry from busting his head open on the corner of the desk. 

Suddenly more Slytherins brought in Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. Crap.

“Got em all,” Warrington said proudly. “That one-“ he pointed at Neville “tried to stop me from taking her-“ he pointed at Ginny. “So I brought him along too.”

“Good good. Looks like Hogwarts will soon be a Weasley free school,” Umbridge said sweetly. 

I stared at her loathingly, Draco still holding onto me tight. I was breathing heavily, wanting to launch myself at her.

“So Potter, Romano. You stationed lookouts around my office and sent this buffoon,” she nodded to Ron. “To tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr Filch having just informed me so.” 

Crap. Ron put his head down solemnly. 

“Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Dumbledore? Hagrid? I doubt it was McGonagall, I hear she’s still too ill to speak to anyone...”

“No thanks to you!” I snarled. Umbridge shot me a nasty look and Draco pulled me back. She stared at him strangely and then looked back at me. 

“It’s none of your business who I talk to,” Harry snarled.

“Very well...I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco- stop holding onto that girl and fetch Professor Snape.”

Draco reluctantly let me go and trudged out. Umbridge stared at me.

“You really think Mr Malfoy likes you, Miss Romano?” Umbridge said icily.

“I believe he does,” I said flatly.

“He works for ME. And frankly I think we share the same opinion of you,” Umbridge said.

“Then you don’t really know him,” I said. She stared at me. Then Snape and Draco entered the room. 

“You wanted to see me, Headmistress?” Snape asked boringly. His eyes flashed to Harry and I and he looked indifferent.

“I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as possible if you please,” Umbridge said. Snape stared at her. 

“You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter and Romano. Surely you did not use it at all? I told you three drops would be sufficient,” he said. Umbridge flushed.

“It did not work! The girl drank the whole thing in front of me and I know she was still lying!” Umbridge said.

“I’m unaffected by Veritaserum,” I sais smugly. Snape raised en eyebrow.

“A rare ability, usually develops in a child if their parent is a hand magic whielder,” Snape said.

“My grandpa was one,” I said proudly. Umbridge looked rageful. She turned to Snape. 

“You can make more, can’t you?” She asked frantically.

“Certainly. In a month,” Snape said, flashing me a small smile. He was helping us. Veritaserum only took a few hours to brew. 

“A month?” Umbridge squawked. “I need the truth NOW! I have just found Potter and Romano using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!” 

“Really? Doesn’t surprise me on Potter’s end. Romano however,” Snape said, eyeing me closely.

“Oh Severus that girl is devil’s spawn,” Umbridge snapped. I smirked at her. 

“I want to interrogate them!” Umbridge said angrily.

“As I said, it takes a month to brew Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison them- I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venom wouldn’t give them much time for truth telling,” Snape said. I gaped at him. Draco stared at me nervously.

“He’s got Padfoot!” Harry shouted. “He’s got Padfoot in the place where it’s hidden!”

I stared between them. Please understand, Snape! 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. If I wanted nonsense shouted at me, Potter, I’d have given you a Babbling Beverage,” Snape said. Somehow I knew he had understood Harry. He left the room. 

“Very well,” Umbridge said, seething. “I am left with no alternative...the Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue.”

Draco’s eyes shot open.

“Professor, the Minister-“ he said.

“What Cornelius doesn’t know won’t hurt him! Come here, Miss Romano!” Umbridge snarled.

I stepped forward, Draco and Hermione staring at me with a frightened expression. 

“With whom were you communicating?” She spat.

“Nobody,” I said. She raised her wand.

“Crucio!” 

I screamed loudly. My body collapsed on the floor and I felt like I’d lost all control. Pain radiated throughout me. I could not concentrate. All I could think was pain. It was so intense my eyes burned and I felt like I’d rather just die straight away. 

“NO!” Hermione screamed. 

Umbridge stopped the curse and stared at me with a cruel grin. I gasped and struggled to breathe.

“We’ll tell you!” Hermione wailed.

“No.. Hermione,” I croaked. Draco rushed forward and helped me up. Umbridge stared at him angrily then turned to Hermione. 

“We wanted to speak with Dumbledore! To tell him it’s ready!” Hermione cried.

Everyone looked confused.

“That what’s ready, girl?” Umbridge asked irritably. 

“The weapon!” Hermione said.

“Weapon? To be used against the Ministry? On Dumbledore’s orders, of course?” Umbridge asked suspiciously.

“Yes! And now it’s done but we can’t find him to tell him!” Hermione said. Umbridge believed her.

“What kind of weapon?” Umbridge demanded. 

“We don’t really understand it-“

“Lead me to it!” Umbridge ordered.

“Hermione don’t!” I cried, playing along.

“I have to, Jules!” She said confidently. I admired her so.

“But you can’t show them!” I said.

“Then only Professor Umbridge can see it! Cmon Harry we have to take her!” Hermione insisted.

“One of the squad can accompany you, Professor,” Pansy offered.

”I can manage two wandless teenagers alone! Just don’t let these escape!” Umbridge instructed, leading Harry and Hermione away. 

I waited a few minutes, waiting for them to leave. Draco rushed toward me.

“Are you ok, Jules? I’m sorry I wanted to stop her-“

“It’s fine,” I said a bit harshly. I pulled him closer, pretending to kiss his cheek, but actually whispered in his ear. “You need to let us escape.”

He pulled away slightly, then pressed his lips against mine, breathing a faint “sure.”

I stood up abruptly.

“Ginny, Ron, Luna, Neville? I have candies if you’d like-“

“Give them up!” Pansy demanded. 

“But they’re mine!” I insisted, taking out the Vomit Toffees that resided in my pocket as a last minute measure for escape. 

“Well they’re ours now!” Pansy snapped, taking them from me. I faked being hurt and handed them over. She distributed them to everyone, even Draco. I shook my head as little as I dared so he would not eat it. 

Soon after the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad began barfing. Ron dodged a punch from Goyle and I one from Pansy, however she managed to knee me hard in the stomach. I punched her and she fell on the floor, retching. Luna squirmed out of Warrington’s grasp and Ginny paused for a moment to perform her famous Bat Bogey Hex on him. She was absolutely brilliant. We ran out into the hall together.

“Thank you,” I said, hugging Draco tightly and kissing him.

“Please be careful. If anything I know you’re about to do something insane and dangerous. You better come back to me alive,” he said.

“I will I swear it,” I said, kissing him again. He held onto me tight then let me go. 

We ran out into the grounds and saw Hermione and Harry emerging from the Forbidden Forest. They looked surprised to see us. 

“Well what’s the plan?” Ron asked them when we caught up.

“How did you escape?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Jules was brilliant, bringing Vomit Toffees. She even punched Parkinson square in the face. Ginny left Warrington fighting off flapping things with a Bat Bogey Hex. Malfoy actually let us go,” Ron said.

“Can’t imagine why,” Hermione said with a smirk, beaming at me. I smiled.

“What’ve you done with Umbridge?” I asked. 

“She got carried away by a herd of centaurs,” Hermione said. I gaped at her.

“Well has Voldemort got Sirius, Harry?” I asked, not replying to what Hermione had said.

“Yes and I’m sure Sirius is still alive but I can’t see how we’re going to get there to help him,” Harry said gravely. 

“We’ll have to fly won’t we?” Luna suggested.

“Wait ‘we’ aren’t doing anything,” Harry said. “Ron’s the only one with a broomstick that isn’t being guarded by a troll-“

“I’ve got a broom!” Ginny said.

“Yeah but you’re not coming,” Ron said.

“I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!” Ginny said.

“We were all in the DA together!” Neville offered. “We want to help. This is what we’ve been preparing for.”

“Well it doesn’t matter anyways,” Harry said in a frustrated tons. “We don’t know how to get there.”

“We’re flying!” Luna insisted.

“Without a broomstick-“

“There are other ways of flying without a broomstick!” I argued in her defense.

“I suppose we’re going to ride on the back of a Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?” Ron said sarcastically.

“Crumple Horned Snorkack’s can’t fly,” Luna said.

“But they can,” I whispered. Everyone stared at me in confusion.

“THEM,” I said, lifting my hand to point at the thestrals grazing near the trees.

“Yes!” Harry said excitedly. 

“Is it those horse things you can’t see unless you witness someone snuff it?” Ron asked.

“Yeah,” I said, glaring at him.

“Who’ve you watched snuff it Jules?” Ron asked. 

“My granddad,” I said stiffly. He looked away quickly.

“How many?” Hermione asked, breaking the silence. 

“Just two,” I said.

“Well we need four,” Hermione said.

“Five,” Ginny said with a scowl.

“There are seven of us actually,” Luna said calmly.

“Don’t be stupid we can’t all go!” Harry said. “Look you three-“ he pointed at Neville, Ginny, and Luna- “you’re not involved in this-“ 

They began to protest.

“Harry we need all the help we can get!” I protested.

“Fine! It’s your choice!” He said a but angrily. “But we need more thestrals.”

“They’ll come soon. You and Hermione are covered in blood,” Ginny told him.

Sure enough, more thestrals came.

“You two must really smell,” Luna said. I smirked and Hermione turned red.

“Ok you’ll need to trust Harry, Neville, and I on this,” I said. “We’ll get you guys on and you just hold on.”

Harry helped Ron, Neville helped Luna, and I helped Ginny and Hermione. They were all very frightened to be holding onto something they couldn’t see but they didn’t argue. They signed up for this. 

“Alright,” Harry said. “Let’s go.” 

The thestrals kicked off the ground, soaring into the air.


	26. Chapter 26

“Okay listen- maybe a couple of people should stay here as a lookout-“ Harry began to suggested.

“And how would we let you know someone was coming?” Ginny asked. “You could be miles away.”

“We’re coming with you,” Neville said.

Harry looked at me, waiting for my opinion.

“I say we will need backup. If we get caught by the Ministry it’s even better. We should all be together if we get attacked because we can fight stronger. If two people stay behind they could get killed,” I said. Harry sighed.

“Let’s get on with it then,” Ron said.

We walked onward. Harry opened the door he’d described from his dream. As we walked over the threshold I gasped.

The room was large, circular. Every single thing inside was black, even the ceiling and the floor. The doors inside were identical, without marks, and they did not have handles. Between the doors along the walls were blue flamed candles. It was an ominous setting that sent chills down my spine. I pressed myself closer to Harry. 

“Someone shut the door,” Harry murmured. Neville turned back to close it.

It was a mistake. Now the room was so dark it became more creepy. I felt more anxious.

Suddenly the candles began to rotate clockwise. The wall was moving. Hermione grabbed onto Harry and I as if she were afraid the floor might begin to spin too. It didn’t.

”what was that about?” Ron asked quietly.

“I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in from,” Ginny said quietly.

Indeed, we could no longer distinguish where we’d entered from because the door we’d come in through looked just the same as the other doors.

“How are we going to get back out?” Neville squeaked.

“That’s not important,” I said, mustering all the courage I had. “We can worry about that when we find Sirius.”

“We can’t go calling for him though!” Hermione whispered.

“Yes we need to be as quiet as we can. Something about this place...” Harry mumbled.

“Where do we go then, Harry?” Ron asked.

“I don’t know...in the dreams I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room- that’s this one- and then I went through another door into a room that kind of glitters. We should try a few doors...I’ll know the right way when I see it. Cmon,” Harry said.

He led us straight to the door we were facing. He pushed it lightly and it swung open. 

There was no glittering at all. It was empty, with a mere few desks and a huge tank in the center of the room with disturbingly green water. Some objects like jellyfish were swimming around in it. 

“What are those things?” Ron whispered.

“Fish?” Ginny asked.

“Aquavirius maggots!” Luna said. I stared at them a bit longer and gasped.

“They’re brains!” I shrieked. Hermione gagged. 

“What are they doing with them?” She asked fearfully. 

“They look like slimy cauliflowers,” Harry noticed.

“Oh I hate you for saying that,” I said as a chill went down my spine. 

I inched closer to the tank. The brains had tentacles attached to them. I saw some yellowish liquid residing against their tentacles. They were like acid squids. They hissed too. 

“Let’s get out of here. This isn’t right, we need to try another door,” Harry said.

“There are doors here too,” Ron breathed. I noticed he was right. This place was enormous. 

“In my dream I went through that dark room into the second one,” Harry said. “I think we should go back and try from there.” 

We walked back into the dark room. 

“What if he lose track of that door too?” Hermione asked.

“You’re right! Flagrate!” I said, waving my wand. A fiery X appeared in front of the door. 

“Good thinking. Let’s try this one,” Harry said. 

We went to the next door facing us and pushed it open.

This room was bigger and was more rectangular shaped. It had a huge pit in the middle from the floor sinking in. It was almost like the courtrooms for the Wizengamot in France where my mum used to take me when she pursued foreign affairs cases. There was an archway in the center instead of a chair. It was like something from ancient Rome, broken but majestic in a sense. A curtain lay over it, and I heard whispering.

“Guys be quiet,” I hissed, going closer to observe.

“No one said anything Jules,” Ginny said quietly. 

“I heard voices too,” Harry said, walking closer and nearly tripping. “Sirius?”

I walked beside him, coming closer to the veil.

“Someone is there...I hear a woman’s voice,” I said. I reached my hand to touch the veil. Harry grabbed my arm at the last moment.

“Something about this veil is off,” he said.

“Let’s go please this isn’t right,” Hermione said fearfully. I sighed and we went up to her. I turned to look at the veil again, hearing the faint whisper of my mother’s voice calling me to walk into the veil. Jumbled in there were other voices too. Were they ghosts?

“There are people IN there,” Luna said. 

“Exactly I hear people!” I protested.

“There isn’t anything in there,” Hermione said a bit forcefully. Harry started walking back to the veil and Hermione tugged him back.

“We’re supposed to be here for Sirius!” She said. 

“Sirius, yeah,” he mumbled. Something was wrong with this archway....

“Let’s go,” I insisted. 

We walked out and I marked the door again.

“What do you reckon it was?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know but something dangerous. Harry, I heard my MUM in there,” I whispered so Hermione wouldn’t hear.

We moved onto the next door and it was locked. Hermione and I’s spells didn’t work and Sirius’ knife didn’t open it either. Instead it melted.

“Oh Merlin,” I gasped, taking the blade. It was destroyed.

“Right we’re leaving that room,” Hermione decided.

“What if that’s the one?” Ron asked.

“It can’t be,” I said, “Harry got through the doors without a problem in his dream.” 

“You know what could be in there?” Luna asked.

“Perhaps that’s the exit even,” I said. Hermione said something under her breath and Neville laughed. 

“Can you fix Sirius’ blade, Jules?” Harry asked. I cast a spell. It didn’t work.

“I can fix it if I was in the Alchemy lab,” I said. 

“We’ll just have to wait til we get back to school then,” Harry said.

“If,” I wanted to say. I felt that might be too morbid.

Harry pushed open another door. I gasped and tripped, holding onto his shoulder for support.

The room was beautiful. There was light dancing across the room in a glittery fashion, bouncing off the walls and making it look almost like the ballroom at Beauxbatons during the holiday parties. 

“This is it!” He said. He walked into the room and the rest of us followed.

“Oh look!” Ginny said, pointing into a bell jar.

Inside was an egg, a gorgeous little egg. A hummingbird emerged from it then suddenly it was once again inside the egg.

“That’s cute,” I breathed. Ginny and I stopped to observe.

“Keep going!” Harry said sharply. Ginny stared at him indignantly.

“You dawdled enough by that old arch!” She said crossly, reluctantly following Harry.

“This is it”, Harry said. “It’s through here.”

The rows of orbs were now in front of us, enormous and grand.

I took my wand out subconsciously.

“What, Jules?” Hermione squeaked.

“Something is wrong,” I said, sensing something off about the room. 

“Keep your wands out, everyone,” Harry whispered.

“Row ninety seven right?” Luna asked.

“Yes....we need go right I think, that’s fifty four,” Harry said.

We crept down the rows slowly. I felt someone else was in the room and it wasn’t Sirius...something was so so wrong..

I was intimidated by the orbs. They were rather small but the light reflected across them in an eerie manner. I could nearly see my reflection in them.

“Ninety seven!” Hermione said. 

We walked to it. There was nobody here.

“He’s right down at the end...you can’t see properly from here,” Harry said.

I walked forward. Nobody was there either.

“Something is really wrong you guys I swear I have a bad feeling about this,” I mumbled. Harry wasn’t listening but Hermione stared at me with wide eyes. 

I looked around at the orbs. I jumped when I thought I saw a figure pass through one.

“There’s someone else here but it isn’t Sirius you guys HAVE to believe me,” I said.

“I saw him!” Harry snapped.

“I don’t think Sirius is here,” I said. He gave me a nasty look and ignored me.

“Harry this has got your name on it,” Ron said. We all turned in surprise. 

One of the orbs had Harry’s name. 

“That’s not just an orb that’s a prophecy,” I breathed, remembering a distant memory.

“What?” Hermione asked.

“Don’t touch it Harry!” I cried. He scowled. Lifting his arm, he grabbed the orb and twisted it in his hands.

“No! Oh no Harry put it back it’s a PROPHECY my mother told me about them,” I said. 

“But it’s got my name on it!” Harry said.

“Harry this was a trap! Only the person whose name is on prophecies can retrieve them...” I struggled to remember what else my mother had told me. “Prophecy...propechy...VOLDEMORT WANTS THE PROPECHY HARRY! PUT IT DOWN!” 

Then I saw another shadow in an orb and screamed. 

The unmistakable Lucius Malfoy stepped out, his arm extended. He pointed his wand to me, then spoke to Harry.

“Very good, Potter. Now turn around nice and slowly and give that to me.”

The ones called Death Eaters emerged from behind Lucius Malfoy, enclosing us. Ginny gasped and I backed up into Harry. 

I stared at him with piercing eyes. He turned to Harry.

“To me Potter,” he repeated.

“Where’s Sirius?” Harry asked.

“The Dark Lord always knows!” A female voice cackled. 

“I told you it was a trap!” I hissed to Harry. He gripped my hand tightly. 

“Always,” Malfoy said. “Give me the prophecy Potter!”

“I want to know where Sirius is!” Harry snapped.

“I want to know where Sirius is!” The female voice mocked.

”You’ve got him!” Harry said. “He’s here. I know he is.”

“The wittle baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twooo,” she said in a baby voice. I gritted my teeth.

I stared around. I saw the female speaker’s silhouette nearby Lucius Malfoy. It had to have been Bellatrix Lestrange. 

“Don’t do anything, not yet,” Harry whispered to Ron. 

“You hear him?” Bellatrix said with a loud scream. “Giving instructions the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!” 

“Oh you don’t know Potter as I do, Bellatrix,” Lucius said. “He has great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. Now give me the prophecy, Potter.”

“I know Sirius is here! I know you’ve got him!” Harry cried.

“They don’t,” I whispered.

“It’s time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter. Now give me the prophecy before we start using wands,” Lucius said, eyeing Harry and I suspiciously.

“Go on then,” Harry urged. He snapped his wand out and I imitated him. A ripple effect occurred and soon we all were ready to cast any spell. 

“Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt,” Lucius said almost annoyed. 

“And you’ll just let us skill off home?” I asked sarcastically. 

“Accio Proph-“ Bellatrix began. I blocked her spell faster than she could speak it and her wand flew across the floor. Lucius’ jaw tightened.

“You could’ve smashed it,” Lucius told Bellatrix angrily. 

“Need more persuasion?” She asked coolly. “Take the girl next to him and the smallest one- he can watch while we torture them. I’ll even do it.”

I forced a laugh. 

“I’m so afraid, Bellatrix,” I said fiercely. She stared at me the way Rita Skeeter stared at Hermione. Full annoyance. “I’m sure your boss will be so pleased when you smash the prophecy trying to attack us. You think we won’t purposely smash it if you even try that?”

She looked at me with beady eyes. We WOULD smash it and she knew it. 

“So, what kind of prophecy are we talking about?” Harry asked. 

“You jest!” Bellatrix said without amusement. 

“We really aren’t,” I said. “Why does Voldemort want it?” 

“You dare speak his name?” Bealltrix whispered.

“Yeah we do!” Harry said. “We have no problem saying Volde-“

“Shut your mouth!” Bellatrix snarled angrily. “Speaking his name with your unworthy lips...you dare besmirch it with your half blood tongue-“

“MY blood is purer than his! He’s a half blood too!” I snapped.

“His mother was a witch and dad a Muggle,” Harry announced. “Has he been telling you lot he’s pure?”

“STUPEF-“

“NO!”

Bellatrix was getting riled up. Lucius was very eager to stop her from losing her temper.

“DON’T ATTACK! WE NEED THAT PROPHECY!”

“HE DARES STAND THERE- FILTHY HALF BLOOD-“

“WAIT UNTIL WE’VE GOT THE PROPHECY!”

I gripped Harry’s hand tighter. I was getting anxious. I probably shouldn’t have said anything. We shouldn’t have come. Bellatrix was so mad. 

“You haven’t told me what’s so special about this prophecy!” Harry said boldly.

“Don’t play games with us, Potter!” Lucius snapped.

“I’m not playing games,” Harry said innocently. We were going to die thanks to Harry and I’s sarcastic comments.

“Dumbledore never told you the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?” Lucius sneered.

I was quiet. My mother HAD been right about the prophecies. She’d said they held more explanation than anything ever. 

“Can this be? Dumbledore never told you?” Lucius began. He continued to speak but I wasn’t listening. 

“When I say go,” I began to whisper to the others. “Smash shelves- stupefy- anything.” Hermione nodded. 

Harry and Lucius were arguing. This was the time. 

“NOW!” I cried.

Everyone shot a Reducto spell.

“Bombarda!” I yelled, blowing up the shelves nearest Bellatrix and another Death Eater. 

“RUN!” Harry yelled loudly. 

I cast a protective shield as the glass orbs began to fly off the shelves. One of the orbs fell on my ankle and I heard a loud crack. Harry grabbed my robes and dragged me as I screamed, Bellatrix laughing in the background. The pain was blinding.

“Episkey!” I said through gritted teeth. My ankle felt well enough to run but I still was limping.

We ran into a room. Hermione shut the door and that’s when I realized Ron, Ginny, and Luna were not with us.

“Where are the others?” I asked fearfully.

“They must have gone the wrong way!” Hermione whispered. Neville gasped.

“Listen!” He said. 

Someone was shouting and walking. At first I thought perhaps it was the others trying to find us but then I heard Lucius Malfoy.

“Leave Nott, leave him I say! The Dark Lord will not care for Nott’s injuries as much as that prophecy- that blasted girl made an orb burst his head open! Jugson, come back here we need to organize! We’ll split into pairs and search. Don’t forget, be gentle with Potter until we’ve got the prophecy- you can kill the others if necessary. Bellatrix and Rodolphus- take left. Crabbe, Rabastan- go right. Jugson, Dolohov- door straight ahead. Macnair and Avery through here. Rookwood there and Mulciber with me!” 

“We have to get away from this door,” I squeaked. Harry nodded and led the way. We ran past the egg that kept hatching and almost ended up back in the circular hallway. Something large and heavy collided with one of the door Hermione had charmed shut. 

“Stand aside! Alohomora!” 

We scrambled to hide under the desks. 

Two Death Eaters came in. Their robes slid across the floor with a delicate hiss. 

“Might’ve run straight through to the hall,” the Death Eater who had opened the door said.

“Check under the desks,” the other said. Crap. 

Instinctively, Harry and I both cast our Stupefy charm at once. One of the Death Eaters got up and pointed his wand at Hermione. I scrambled and gasped in pain but shot myself in front of her.

“An even better kill! Avada-“

Harry tackled the Death Eater and I pushed Hermione out of the way. 

“Oppugno!” I cried. 

The papers on the desks shot out to attack the Death Eaters. 

“Expelliarmus!” Neville yelled. Harry and the Death Eater’s wands flew across the room. I waved my wand briskly and the papers swarmed the Death Eater whose wand was gone, cutting his face.

Harry got up but the Death Eater grabbed his legs. 

“Ossio Dispersimus!” I yelled, pointing my wand at the Death Eater’s arms. 

He yelled in pain, releasing Harry. 

“What did you do?” Neville asked.

“I made his bones disappear!” I said.

We ran after Harry. The instant he picked up his wand I heard a loud scream and a gigantic crash.

“RON? GINNY? LUNA?” Harry yelled. 

“Come on! They’re in trouble!” I shouted, seizing his arm and leading everyone back into the black hallway. 

“Collo-“ I began to cast before two new Death Eaters cast an Impediment Spell.

The blast was powerful enough to knock us over the desks. I hit the edge with my temple and felt a sharp pain. Definitely cut it open a bit. 

“WE’VE GOT HIM! IN ANOFFICE!” The Death Eater closest to Harry yelled. “IN AN OFFI-“

“Silencio!” I snapped. The other Death Eater raised his wand.

“Petrificus Totalus!” Harry said. The man lay paralyzed like a board on the floor. 

“Well done!” Hermione praised.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a movement. I couldn’t react fast enough. The Death Eater I silenced sliced his wand through the air releasing a purple streak. It hit Hermione in the chest. She crumpled to the floor. 

“HERMIONE!” I screamed. I turned to the Death Eater in fury. “Levicorpus!”

His body flew high into the air. I willed it to slam into the wall. I swatted him against it twice more then let him fall. He did not move, but he groaned. 

Neville crawled out to where Hermione was. Out of nowhere the now unparalyzed Death Eater aimed a kick. It hit Neville squarely in the face. He howled in pain and rolled to the side. His wand, which had been in front of his face, was now snapped in half. 

The Death Eater lunged at me.

“STUPEFY!” I screamed. He flew back. The Death Eater from the other room came back in. 

“PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!” I cried, immobilizing him. Harry seized his chance to do the same to Rookwood. 

Neville groped around Hermione’s neck. 

“Dat’s a pulse,” he said. Harry gave a huge sign. 

“Neville we’re not far from the exit, we’re right next to the circular room. If we can get you across and find the right door before any more Death Eaters come, I’ll bet you can get Hermione up the corridor and into the lift...Then you can find someone and raise the alarm,” Harry said. 

“And whad are you gonna do?” Neville asked, wiping his face. 

“I’m going to find the others,” Harry said.

“Well I’b going to find dem wid you,” Neville said. He winced.

I grabbed his face tenderly and examined the damage. Just a broken nose.

“This is going to hurt. Episkey!” I covered his mouth to muffle the loud groan he emmitted. He spit out to the floor. 

“Thanks,” he said, looking at Harry.

“But Hermione...”

“We’ll dake her wid us- I’ll carry her, you and Jules are bedder at fighding dem dan I ab,” Neville said, lifting Hermione over his shoulders. 

“Wait you’d better take this,” I said, handing him Hermione’s wand. 

“My gran’s going do kill be,” Neville said, spitting again. “Dat was my dad’s old wand...”

We walked out of the office cautiously toward the door into the black hallway. There wasn’t any sign of anyone being in there. Neville almost collapsed under Hermione’s weight. I felt dizzy for a second again as I walked. The blow to my head must’ve rattled me more than I thought. 

When we got into the hallway we found Ron, Ginny, and Luna. 

“Ginny! Ron!” I said, going to hug them. 

“Are you all ok?” Harry asked. 

Ron grabbed me and giggled.

“What?” I asked.

“You look funny, Jules! You have lots of blood on your face,” Ron said. I stared at Ginny with wide eyes.

Something disgusting and dark was trickling from his mouth. 

“What happened to him?” Harry asked. Ginny groaned. I noticed she clutched her ankle and sank down to the floor.

“Oh not you too. This is going to hurt Ginny,” I said, kneeling down and grabbing her leg. “Episkey!” 

Luna covered her mouth. She screamed loudly, but Luna’s hand blocked almost all of the sound. 

“They chased us into a dark room with planets. Very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark-“ Luna began to say. Ron giggled again. And tapped me.

“Jules, Harry, we saw Uranus up close? Get it?” He asked with another giggle. More of that nasty stuff dribbled down his chin. I observed it. 

“This is carbonated blood,” I said, looking closely. 

“What does that mean?” Harry asked.

“They hit him with a really badly cast Conjunctivitis Curse. Professor Gibbons says that can make you have a carbon buildup that’ll drive you bonkers and make you spit out blood,” I said. Luna gagged.

“Will he be ok?” She asked.

“Eventually. Let me try something,” I said. I waved my wand and a silvery light went into his mouth. He giggled and the bleeding stopped.

“That should reset him. He might be giggly for awhile longer,” I said. 

“Good job Jules. We have to get out if here- Luna can you help Ginny?” Harry asked.

Ginny instead got up herself. She groaned but was able to walk with a limp. My spell worked.

“I got it!” She said with a wince. 

We began to walk toward a door, not aiming for any particular direction. 

Bellatrix Lestrange and three other Death Eaters came in first. 

“There they are!” She cried. 

“Stupefy!” I screamed. She was knocked back, throwing the other Death Eaters behind.

“Collopurtus!” Harry shouted. 

“Harry we’re in the Brain Room!” I said. I heard more footsteps running where Harry had just shut the door. 

“Shut them all!” I cried. Luna and Neville sped into action with Harry and I, shutting the doors as fast as we could. 

“Collo- AAHHH!” Luna screamed. I saw her fly in the air. I sprinted forward and caught her before she hit her head on a desk. Her weight made me crash down and slide on the floor. I heard my back crack. I groaned and tried to get up. She was limp in my arms. 

“Another one down!” I hissed, grabbing Luna and dragging her under the desk to be shielded. 

“GET POTTER!” I heard Bellatrix scream. 

I got up and collapsed, my head spinning. I heard a giggle. 

“Look Jules! The brains!” Ron said, his wand out. My eyes widened. I scrambled up and went to him.

“NO RON NO!” I screamed. 

“Look! Brains! Accio Brain!” Ron said.

The brain went flying toward him and landed beside him.

“DON’T TOUCH IT!” I cried, sprinting forward. Another wave of nausea hit me and I fell again, grabbing onto my head and groaning. It felt like someone was banging on it with a book. I looked up, my eyes watery. 

“Get up and come touch it Jules!” Ron giggled, reaching hand out. I forced myself to get up and scrambled to where he was, but not in time. Ron put his hands around the brain. The tentacles elongated and began to wrap around his arms. 

“I don’t like it! STOP!” Ron told the brain. I made it to him. The acid was trickling out of the tentacles and onto Ron’s skin.

“Diffindo!” I cried. Some of the tentaclss broke but not enough. The tentacles were around his chest now.

“It’ll suffocate him!” Ginny said. I turned to her and saw a jet of red light hit her in the face. She fell back and didn’t move. Ron screamed again.

Acid...acid... water would neutralize it. 

“Aguamenti! Diffindo!” I screamed. The tentacles stopped releasing acid as the water shot out, soaking Ron entirely. He yelled as the tentacles began to burn and fall off. 

Ron groaned weakly and fell. The brain disintegrated on the floor. 

I turned and saw Harry running, the prophecy held up in the air. He was drawing the Death Eaters away from us. 

I ran after him. He wouldn’t be able to take them alone. I got up and wincing, almost screaming from the pain in my head I ran down the hall. 

I hadn’t even made it that far when there was a loud crack. I turned and saw the desk Luna was under had a broken leg. It looked immensely heavy- it would crush her if I didn’t move her. 

I lunged forward and grabbed her, moving her out of the way. The desk crashed down onto my thigh, smashing my leg against the ground.

I screamed loudly. I gritted my teeth hard and ended up biting my tongue and tasting blood. I gasped as I waved my wand to get the desk off me. I wailed a bit when it came off. I could not feel my right leg anymore, but regardless it was still there and causing me to feel even dizzier. I grabbed the broken chair leg and pressed it against my leg. Ripping my robes off I wrapped the wood against my leg to make a sort of splint for it. The cold air in the room hit me and I felt sick to my stomach. Regardless, I forced myself to crawl forward, heading to where Harry was. My mother did not raise a quitter.

“Potter, your race is run!” I heard Lucius Malfoy say ahead of me. “Now hand me the prophecy like a good boy...”

“Let the others go! And then I’ll give it to you!” Harry cried. I could hear the desperation in his voice. 

“You’re in no position to bargain, Potter! You see, there are ten of us and only one of you...or hasn’t Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?” Lucius asked.

I reached the room at the same time as Neville.

“He’s dot alone! He’s still god be!” Neville spluttered. I grabbed onto the wall and pushed my weight up. I stumbled forward into their view. The Death Eaters looked between Neville and I and laughed.

“Jules you’re all broken!” Harry said. “And Neville go back to Ron-“

“STUBEFY! STUBEFY!” Neville shouted. I screamed as one of the Death Eaters grabbed him from behind and pinned his arms to his sides.

“Longbottom is it? Your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause...Your death will not come as a great shock,” Lucius said. I gritted my teeth. 

“Longbottom? Why I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy,” Bellatrix said maniacally. She cackled.

I DOE YOU HAB!” Neville spat. 

I heard a cackle emerge from nearby Bellatrix. 

One of the Death Eaters said, stepping forward. He removed his mask.

“Excuse me Bella- but I think now I recognize this girl. Juliana Romano. I’ve met your father and might I say- I’m glad I can be tasked with finishing the Romano line,” he said. 

“Who are you?” I spat. 

“Antonin Dolohov. Yes, your father and I knew each other. I was there when he died you know...he wanted to save little Harry after what he did to the Dark Lord! I put a stop to that, I did,” Dolohov said. I choked and stepped back, nearly falling. 

I was face to face with my father’s murderer. 

“Now Bellatrix, what should we do?” Dolohov asked. 

“Why don’t we see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents...and how long little Julie lasts until she dies like her filthy blood traitor father...Unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy,” Bellatrix said. 

“Don’t give it to them, Harry,” I said. 

“CRUCIO!” Bellatrix and Dolohov screamed. I crashed onto the floor, screaming. The pain was more intense than anything I’d ever experienced. It was worse than when Umbridge had cast it on me. Along with the pain in my head and my leg, this was an absolute nightmare.

The curse stopped and I breathed heavily. 

“That was just a taster!” Bellatrix said excitedly. “Now Potter, either give us the prophecy or Dolohov here will finish that wretched girl off!”

I stared at Harry, shaking my head. 

Harry reached his hand out, about to give it to Lucius.

Suddenly two doors burst open high above. Sirius, Remus Lupin, Mad Eye Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley sprinted into the room. 

I scrambled to the side with Neville and Harry. I screamed when my leg slid across the floor. I was blacking out, but forcing myself to stay conscious. 

“Jules what HAPPENED?” Harry asked. 

“Desk smashed my leg,” I gasped, wincing and feeling tears of pain going down my cheeks. 

Dolohov came towards us. He grabbed me and held me up to his face. He cackled and pointed his wand at my forehead. 

Sirius dove forward and tackled Dolohov, which dropped me to the floor. I howled loudly, hearing my leg crack again. I was seeing blurry now and my head my pounding. 

“Harry! Take Jules and Neville and the prophecy and run!” Sirius demanded, looking at me with worry. 

Harry ran forward and picked me up, causing me to scream again. 

“The prophecy! Give it to me Potter!” Lucius snarled, appearing and pointing his wand at my head. 

“Give it to me or she gets it!” Lucius snarled. I was so weary I don’t know what happened but I didn’t die and Lucius definitely didn’t get the prophecy because Harry kept running. 

There was so much yelling....

”Dubbledore!” I heard Neville yell. I looked around wildly. Dumbledore was standing, looking furiously at the scene. We were saved...

I turned to see Sirius and Bellatrix dueling in the distance near the archway. 

“Come on, you can do better than that!” He taunted her. No Sirius don’t do that...

I pushed Harry’s chest and he released me.

“Jules- what are you doing?” He asked. I limped forward and pointed. 

“Sirius!” I gasped. 

I had almost reached him when a jet of red light slammed into his chest. 

It was like the world had gone silent. 

Harry rushed forward to where I was. Sirius fell back through the curtain in the archway. Bellatrix screamed triumphantly. He was gone.

“SIRIUS!” Harry and I screamed. I moved forward and then collapsed on the floor. I was dizzy, so dizzy, but I could think just fine. My mind was clear. Bellatrix...she murdered him. 

Harry ran forward and Remus Lupin came, pulling him back. Harry was screaming, sobbing loudly. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to get up. Bellatrix was dancing around. 

“There’s nothing you can do...” Lupin was telling Harry. 

I marched forward. I heard Lupin screaming at me to come back. I limped and came nearer to Bellatrix. She hadn’t noticed me.

“I KILLED SIRIUS BLACK! I KILLED SIRIUS BLACK! I KILLED-“

“CRUCIO!” I screamed, forcefully thrusting my wand towards her.

She yelled loudly, howling in pain. She writhed on the floor.

“CRUCIO! CRUCIO! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! CRUCIO!” I screamed, tears flooding down my face. My head was spinning, I felt sick, I needed to sit down, but I didn’t. I wanted to cause her so much pain...she took away my last chance of having a family. Harry and I would never be adopted my Sirius like we’d wanted. 

Bellatrix was screaming loudly. I was causing her real pain. I felt like a sadist. I enjoyed watching her writhe on the floor. 

Someone seized me from behind. 

Dolohov grabbed me and turned me around to face him, pointing his wand at my chest. 

“Avada-“

“Protego!” I cried with my last bit of energy. 

The blast hurtled me back, sending me flying against a wall. My head hit hard on it, and I fell to the floor, no longer conscious.


	27. Chapter 27

I woke up groggy in the Hospital Wing. 

“You’re finally awake!” I heard a voice say. I groaned and turned, seeing Hermione.

“What’s wrong?” She asked fearfully.

“My head is spinning...” I said. 

“Jules?” Ginny asked. I turned to the other side and saw everyone from the Department of Mysteries was also waiting for me to wake up. 

“How long ago was the Department of Mysteries?” I asked. 

“Two days,” Hermione said quietly. I felt dizzy again.

“Jules you snapped your femur in half. How did you even manage to continue walking after that? It’s one of the hardest bones to break!” Ron said.

“I don’t know honestly,” I said. “I think the adrenaline made me keep going. Can’t say I’ll want an experience like that again.” 

“You had a really bad concussion. Madame Pomfrey says she was surprised you made it out alive,” Harry said. I breathed in deeply. 

“Are you ok?” Ron asked.

“It’s not even the injuries that matter,” I said. “It’s the fact that every single person in there had something to do with my parents being killed.” Harry pursed his lips.

“That Dolohov guy killed my dad. Voldemort killed my mom. Bellatrix killed Sirius- he was going to ADOPT me Harry. I would’ve had a family. You and I could’ve been siblings. I don’t know where I’m even going to go anymore. Thanks to her killing him I might have to go live with my godmother in godawful France again,” I said. Harry stared and didn’t say anything.

“Everyone was getting hurt and there was NOTHING I could do at times-“ I began. 

“You helped a lot Jules, whether you want to accept that or not,” Neville said. I sighed and laid down further.

There was silence.

“Well Flitwick’s gotten rid of Fred and George’s swamp,” Ginny said, breaking the silence. “He did t in about three seconds. But he left a tiny patch under the window and he’s roped it off-“

“Why?” Hermione asked.

“Oh he just says it was a really good bit if magic,” Ginny said. 

“I think he left it as a monument to Fred and George. They sent me all these,” Ron said, pointing at a mountain of Chocolate Frogs. My eyes widened, so he tossed one to me.

“Must be doing all right out of that joke shop,” I said, munching on the chocolate. It tasted amazing. 

“So has the trouble stopped now that Dumbledore’s back?” Hermione asked.

“Yep. Everything has settled right back down again,” Neville said.

“Filch must be sobbing over Umbridge’s loss. Probably was in love with her,” I said. 

We all turned. Professor Dolores Umbridge herself was lying on a bed a bit aways, staring at the ceiling. 

“Madam Pomfrey says she’s just in shock,” Hermione said quietly. 

“Sulking more like,” Ginny said.

“Yeah she shows signs of life when you do this,” Ron said. He clicked his tongue. Umbridge bolted up. I snorted.

“Anything wrong, Professor?” Madam Pomfrey said, appearing from her office.

“Must’ve been dreaming,” Umbridge mumbled. She laud down again.

Hermione and Ginny were muffling their laughter.

Harry got up.

“Where are you going?” I asked. 

“Hagrid’s. You know he just got back and I promised I’d go down and see him and tell him how Hermione and Jules are,” he said. There’s no way that was entirely true.

“Madame Pomfrey can I walk?” I asked loudly. 

“I suppose you can,” she called. “Don’t exit the school! Also try not to wander into bright light my dear- you’ll suffer a terrible migraine.” 

I thanked her and got up slowly to follow Harry. My head spun a bit but I was better balance coordinated than before. The others remained behind. 

“It’s what happened to Sirius isn’t it,” I said. 

Harry opened his mouth to speak and closed it. He shut his eyes tight. Then as we crossed the staircase, we saw Draco with his goons. He saw me and smiled, then turned to Harry angrily. He had just found something out that made him angry. 

“You’re dead Potter,” Draco snarled. 

“Draco stop,” I warned. He stared at me and I noticed there were tears in his eyes.

“Funny,” Harry retorted. “You’d think I’d have stopped walking around.”

“I’m going to make you pay for what you’ve done to my father,” Draco snarled. 

“What?” I asked.

“Potter’s gone and put my father in prison!” Draco spat angrily. 

“I’m terrified now, Malfoy,” Harry said. “I s’pose Lord Voldemort’s just a warm up act compared to you three- what’s the matter?” The goons and Draco had flinched at the mention of the name. “He’s your dad’s mate isn’t he? Not scared of him, are you?”

“You think you’re such a big man Potter,” Draco said contemptuously. “You wait, I’ll have you. You can’t land my father in prison-“ 

“I thought I just had,” Harry said.

“The dementors have left Azkaban’ dad and the others’ll be out in no time!” Draco said confidently.

“Yeah I expect they will. At least everyone knows what scumbags they are now-“ 

Harry and Draco’s hands both flew for their wands but Snape appeared.

“What are you doing, Potter?” Snape asked coldly. 

“I’m trying to decide which curse to use on Malfoy,” Harry said.

“Ten points from Gryffindor-“ Snape smiled cruelly. “ah I see there are no longer any points left in the hourglass to take away. In that case Potter we’ll simply have to-“

“Add more? To Gryffindor and Ravenclaw of course,” McGonagall said, appearing out of nowhere. 

“Professor!” I said happily. I saw Draco wince out of the corner of my eye. 

“Hello, Miss Romano. Crabbe- Goyle- away with you,” McGonagall said. 

“Out of St Mugo’s I see,” Professor Snape drawled. McGonagall nodded to him curtly then looked at me.

“I am, yes. Well Professor Snape I believe Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You Know Who! What say you?” McGonagall said. I felt absolutely satisfied.

“What? Oh-“ Snape said.

“So that’s fifty each for Potter, two Weasleys, Longbottom, and Miss Granger. And fifty for Miss Lovegood and Miss Romano of course,” McGonagall said. Draco smiled grimly in my direction. “Now you wanted to take ten from Mr Potter I think Professor Snape. So there we are-“

The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw hourglasses filled up then a few rubies escaped the Gryffindor one.

“Well Potter, Malfoy, Romano,” McGonagall breathed, “I think you should be outside on a glorious day like this.”

“I can’t go outside,” I mumbled. She stared at me. 

“And why not?” She asked. 

“Migraines. Too bright. Plus Madam Pomfrey won’t be too pleased if I faint outside and someone has to carry me in. Guess my concussion left my brain a tad damaged,” I said. McGonagall pursed her lips, then smiled.

“I suppose you could cure that with your Alchemy,” she said, her eyes shining. I smiled and she turned to leave.

“You go along Harry,” I said, turning to Draco.

“Do you not want me to stay?” Harry asked. 

“I think I can manage this one on my own,” I said a bit playfully to lighten the mood. Harry stared at me with a sulky expression. Draco looked relieved. Harry then turned and left. Draco came and touched my arm gently. 

“Are you feeling alright?” He asked.

“Better,” I said. I looked directly into his eyes. Suddenly I was staring at Lucius Malfoy, who was sneering. I flinched. Draco noticed.

“What did they do to you?” He whispered, leading me to a bench where we sat down. 

“Well your dad merely threatened us but aunt used a Cruciatus Curse on me-“

Draco stomped hard on the floor. 

“After Umbridge had already done that to you? I swear-“

“It’s alright. I gave her a taste of her own medicine-“

“You used a REAL Cruciatus Curse?” Draco interrupted. I nodded. 

“You’re talented,” he observed. I blushed.

“I suppose. I didn’t feel too useful in there,” I said. 

“Well describe what you helped with,” Draco said. 

“Well I helped them onto the thestrals. I healed Ginny’s ankle and Neville’s nose. I saved Luna from being crushed. I stopped Ron from being burned by acid-“

“You didn’t feel useful? Weasley would be dead if it wasn’t for you,” Draco said. I shrugged.

“Was it painful?” He asked suddenly. 

“It was really bad. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more pain,” I said. Thinking about it, I winced and I felt dizzy. My hand instinctively flew to cover my eyes, which were beginning to be exposed to the sunlight as the rays moved. Draco turned serious.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked- and we can move from here the sun will hurt you,” Draco said. He helped me up and we moved to a bench in the shade were the sun would likely never hit. 

“I’m sorry for what my aunt did. I feel like I couldn’t protect you,” Draco said.

“Well that’s not your fault, you couldn’t have stopped her,” I said. 

“Probably not but I wish- I wish I could give you more. Jules- I-I I’m starting to really like you and eventually I would’ve wanted you to meet my parents and family. I hate the way they are. They’ve conditioned me to not be as accepting of Muggle Borns and they will never treat you the way you should be treated. They’re truly evil and-and I’m going to be bitter that my father is in Azkaban but I truly think he deserves it,” Draco said. I sighed and leaned down, resting my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer. 

“It can’t be helped,” I said quietly. “If I fall in love with you then I’ll love you no matter what your family is like. Just as long as you don’t treat me the way they’d do to me.” 

“I promise, Juliana Romano, I will never treat you that way again. I don’t know what’s going to happen this summer-“

I put my finger on his lips to shush him.

“Whatever happens, it won’t matter. They could make you never come back, they could force you to commit a murder, it doesn’t matter right now. In the end it will be your morals that determine outcomes. Just as long as you don’t let yourself become-“ I almost said the next part. Draco finished my sentence. “A monster.” 

“I didn’t want to say that,” I whispered, cuddling closer into his chest. 

“No, you’re right. I can’t let myself become a monster, I really can’t. I know their influence is strong- there will be things I can’t help, and I apologize in advance if I do anything that’s wrong...”

“Look Draco I know it won’t be possible for you to ignore what they tell you to do. Just do what you can to keep yourself in check,” I said. Draco turned to me. 

“I promise you, Jules. I won’t ever hurt you. Not anymore, if I ever truly have with what I’ve done. If I do start treating you badly then tell me- I’ll fix it- I can’t bring myself to hurt you in any way, no matter what they do to me,” Draco said. I smiled at him. 

He disconnected from me to turn to face me. He cupped my face gently in his hands and brought his lips onto mine. 

He pressed his lips harder, and I found the lack of air wasn’t making my head hurt. My hands traveled to his neck. My fingers curled upward and ran through his hair. He brought his hands down and his fingertips skipped down my neck, his hands wrapping around my back, pulling me closer. I opened my mouth to breathe and he slipped his tongue into my mouth, pressing my tongue down. His hands traveled farther down, resting on my hips. I pushed myself forward, lifting my legs onto the bench. Draco lifted me and twisted me to sit on his lap. I wrapped my legs around his waist. His hand fumbled with the bottom of my shirt and his hand slipped in to touch my back. His hands were warm, and I finally realized how cold it had been in the hallway. But now my body radiated with heat, passion. Draco was kissing me so hard it was a wonder my brain hadn’t grown arms and started banging on my skull and sobbing for me to go lay down and chug down all the tonic Madam Pomfey had left on my nightstand. I felt his other hand slip up my shirt and travel up. As my shirt went up, more cold air hit me and I shivered. I pulled away and reached my arm back to stop him.

“I-I’m sorry,” he gasped.

“We’re in the middle of a freezing hallway,” I said with a small laugh. Draco smiled, pulling his hands out and propping them on my waist again. I smirked and he crashed his lips onto mine again.

* * *

“So how are you and Draco?” Harry asked.

“Good. We had a nice chat the other day,” I said.

Hermione and Ginny smirked.

“What are you not telling us, Jules?” Ron asked suspiciously.

“She snogged him in the halls too. Almost did it right in the middle of the hallway-“

“Hush,” I said fiercely. Harry and Ron looked at me confused.

“Change the subject,” I said. 

“Alright. So, you’re not mad at him?” Ginny asked.

“Of course not. I’m more disappointed- in his family and everything they stand for. No WONDER he sided with Umbridge...I just feel sick to my stomach knowing I could never be accepted as his friend by his family. They could kill him if they found out, we were together,” I said.

“So you’re worried about his safety now? Look what his bloody family’s comrades did to you!” Harry said. 

“I don’t even know what to think anymore. I see him and I see his dad, in there leading the Death Eaters. Hurting everyone. I-I...” my voice cracked and I stifled a sob, the memories coming back. “I-I’m still so scared. It was the most horrible place I’ve ever been in. So much pain..so much suffering. I look at Draco and I see his father, staring with such contempt and evil. It scares me. What if I can’t stop him from becoming like that?” 

“That’s not your duty,” Hermione said. “If he truly likes you he won’t let himself become someone that could potentially hurt you.” 

“Yes exactly. I know he really does like me. He’s promised not to, and I think he was being completely honest. He’s doing a lot to try and change, Hermione,” I said. Harry sighed.

I looked around the train compartment. It felt amazing, my first year at Hogwarts finished. At the same time I felt an emptiness. My mother was not going to be waiting for me at the train station, her arms extended, cookies in her bag. Sirius would not be holding adoption papers in Harry and I’s faces like he’d wanted to do so bad. 

I was going to live with the Weasleys. Molly Weasley had been absolutely thrilled when Dumbledore asked if I could live with them. Ginny was pleased, she would have a sister.

“Look who it is,” Ron said. 

Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe passed by. Marietta now had faint pimple scars around her face in random places. Hermione nudged me and I smirked proudly. 

“Heard she’s going out with someone else now,” Hermione said. 

“Yep,” I said. Seo Jin had told me. 

Speaking of Seo Jin and Celeste, they’d been absolutely thrilled when I’d returned to sleep in the Ravenclaw dormitories. They basically made me overdose on sweets. I felt like I’d become spoiled. 

“Who’s she with?” Ron asked.

“Michael Corner,” I said. 

“What? But I thought YOU were going out with him,” Ron said, pointing at Ginny. 

“Not anymore,” she said. “He didn’t like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch and got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho instead.”

“Well I always thought he was a bit of an idiot,” Ron said. I rolled my eyes. “Good for you, choose someone better next time.”

I raised an eyebrow at Ginny. 

“Well I’ve chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he’s better?” Ginny asked calmly. 

“WHAT?” Ron shouted. Hermione and I burst out laughing. 

The train arrived to King’s Cross Station shortly after. It was beautiful, unlike the French train stations. I’d arrived to Hogwarts via one of the Ministry’s flying carriages, so this truly was my first time here. 

The Aurors were waiting for us when we crossed the magical barrier. Molly Weasley rushed forward and hugged me tightly.

“Oh sweetie...I can’t thank you enough for saving Ron and Ginny...welcome to the family,” she said, hugging me again. I smiled into the hug. It felt like I had a mother again. 

Later we went to the Burrow- as they called it.

It was a beautiful home. Nothing like my mother’s house in France which was large and had marble floors. This one felt more like a home with a large family. I even got to share a room with Ginny. 

For the first time in my life I had a family. I had siblings. I had a home cooked meals and lots of love. And I finally had a father.


	28. Chapter 28

I was reading on the couch late one night when I heard the door open.

“Harry dear!” I heard Mum exclaim. “Gracious Albus, you gave me a fright, you said not to expect you before morning!” 

Here is a little note, Ron and Ginny have insisted I call Mr and Mrs Weasley Mum and Dad because not only would they like it, but it’d make me feel more at home. And they were right. I’d basically just become totally integrated into the Weasley family and it felt amazing. I’d transferred all my mother’s money into their account at Gringotts and sold her house for quite a bit. Half the money went to the twins, the other to the account. Mum had even added me onto her clock. 

I heard Mum fussing over Harry in the kitchen.

“You’re like Ron,” she said. “Both of you look as though you’ve had Stretching jinxes put on you. I swear Ron’s grown four inches since I last bought him school robes. Are you hungry, Harry?”

“Yes I am,” Harry said. I laughed, flipping a page in the book. Draco had owled it to me about two days ago. It was about a Squib girl who discovers how to make herself have magic but she accidentally kills herself and becomes a ghost and a powerful young wizard has to help bring her back to life. 

The Alchemy involved in it was almost accurate. I put a lot of thought into the process. If I combined amino acids with a triglyceride and a sugar with fire then transformed it into water and added it to a Potassium and Tungsten based Potion, I could brew a concoction that brought people back to life. I set that as my new project for when Hogwarts returned. I was still planning on taking Alchemy but Professor Gibbons said Draco and I would be allowed to simply play around with the supplies the whole year because AP Alchemy was easy to teach yourself once you had passed Alchemy 6, which is the class I had last year (a grade level above the one I was in.) 

“Everyone’s in bed of course-“ I heard Mum say.

“Not me!” I called. I heard Harry laugh. Mum came into the living room and stared at me, her arms crossed.

“You’re still up reading that book? I thought you went to bed ages ago!” She said with a tsk. Harry waved at me. 

Dad arrived a bit after. We all sat down at the table, Dad and I drinking coffee and Harry eating biscuits and tea. Mum sipped her tea as well. 

After a bit of conversation I helped Harry get his things to Ron’s room.

“Sleep tight Harry,” I said with a smile. I went into Ginny and I’s room to find her awake, holding a letter. Hermione was on my bed, reading some book. 

“Now who’s owling you at one in the morning?” I asked incredulously. Hermione smirked and closed her book. 

“We’ve BOTH been owled,” Ginny said. She waved a letter in the air.

“By whom? Surely not Hogwarts,” I said.

“Oh no, this one’s from Dean- his family is visiting America. He probably doesn’t know how late it is here,” Ginny said.

“Who owled me then?” I asked, grabbing the letter. 

“Your Slytherin Prince,” Ginny said, making a kissy face. Hermione giggled. I rolled my eyes and plopped onto my bed, next to Hermione, ripping open the letter. 

“Dear Jules,

I really hope you’re enjoying the book. It’s one of my personal favorites and I know you and I will be making an anti death potion this year. 

A lot has been happening. Would you like to meet at Hogsmeade in a few weeks to go on a date or something? Our school supply list should be ariving shortly. I think we might have the same schedule again because the only classes I dropped were Astronomy and History (I doubt anyone would ever continue to take that bloody class) and I finish my school day at lunch everyday. If our schedules are the same then we’ll definitely be having more quality time together. Maybe this time you won’t freeze. 

I miss you, hope you’re doing well. See you soon, Jules. 

With love,

Draco Malfoy”

“Oh that’s so darling! Who knew Malfoy had a heart!” Ginny squealed.

“That was so cute! Maybe he will be nicer,” Hermione said excitedly. 

“Shhh!” I said with a small laugh. “Mum’s going to kill us if she hears us.”

“Oh she won’t she needs us,” Ginny said confidently. 

“Who’ll make sure Harry and Ron don’t throw themselves out of the attic to see if they can fly?” Hermione asked. I laughed quietly. 

“What’d Dean write you anyway?” I asked Ginny, going to her bed and peering over her shoulder.

“Nothing much, just talking about his trip to America. Did you know the Muggles there drive on the other side of the road? Strange! He also said he misses me. We’re irresistible, Jules!” Ginny said. I turned to Hermione.

“Are you and Viktor still owling?” I asked.

“We are yes,” she said, fiddling with her necklace. “But it’s more like we’re just friends now.”

“Hermione your task this year is to get a boyfriend,” Ginny stated. Hermione blushed.

“Who DO you even fancy?” I asked. 

“Nobody in particular,” she said.

“Oh we may not be as brilliant as you but we know that’s a lie!” Ginny said. 

“Nobody,” Hermione repeated, flashing us a smirk. 

“We’ll find out soon Hermione Granger. Inevitably!” I said. Ginny giggled and Hermione shushed us. 

The next morning, we went into Harry and Ron’s room for the girls to greet Harry. Ginny was exasperated. Fleur was driving her insane. 

Did I mention? Fleur hung around alot because she was going to marry Bill, Ron and Ginny’s eldest brother. Ginny didn’t like her much, but she and I got along fine. We mostly talked in rapid French across the household. She never met me at Beauxbatons but it was still a connection we shared. I reckon Ginny was being driven mad by how veela she acted. French girls are like that- ESPECIALLY the veela girls. 

“It’s her, she’s driving me mad,” Ginny said. I laughed. Fleur wasn’t THAT bad.

“What’s she done now?” Hermione asked.

“Talks to me like I was three!” Ginny said.

“Who on Earth are you talking about?” Harry asked. 

Fleur walked in, Mum following closely behind her. 

“Ah, ‘Arry! It’s been to long!” Fleur said excitedly. Harry looked confused as to why she was present.

“Bill and I are going to be married!” She exclaimed. Harry’s jaw dropped open. 

She turned to me, speaking in French.

“Did you really not tell him?”

“He arrived early in the morning there wasn’t time.”

“Ah, I thought Ron might say something.”

“I think they just woke up, that’s probably why.”

“That makes sense, they are heavy sleepers!”

“Oh you think that’s heavy? You should see them at Hogwarts if a Quidditch game falls on a Friday...”

Ginny tapped my shoulder.

“What?” I asked her in German. She stared at me. I face palmed myself.

I repeated it, in English.

“You’re doing the thing again,” she said.

“What thing?” I inquired.

“Where you talk to her in super fast French and leave us confused about what you’re saying,” she said.

“Nothing bad she’s just surprised Harry didn’t know she was marrying Bill,” I said. Fleur smiled and left the room. 

“Mum hates her,” Ginny said.

“I do not!” Mum said. “I just think they’ve hurried into this engagement, that’s all.”

“I suppose they have here. In France people get married within a year of beginning to date,” I said. 

“They’ve barely known each other a year!” Ron said.

“My point exactly,” I said.

“See that’s not very long! I think it’s because of You Know Who coming back. People think they might be dead tomorrow so they’re rushing all sorts of decisions they’d normally take time over. It was the same last time he was powerful, people eloping left right and center,” Mum said. 

“Including you and dad,” Ginny said with a smirk.

“Well we were made for each other, what point was there to waiting?” Mum said, blushing. “Bill and Fleur.. what have they really got in common? He’s down to earth and hardworking and she’s-“

“A cow,” Ginny said flatly. “But Bill’s not that down to earth Mum. He’s a Curse Breaker. I expect that’s why he’s gone for Phlegm, it’s an adventure.”

I snorted. Harry stared wide eyed at Ginny. 

“Stop calling her that, Ginny,” Mum said as Harry and I burst out laughing. She then left the room. 

“Don’t you get used to her if she’s staying in the same house?” Harry asked.

“I did,” I said. 

“You and her have some French connection,” Ginny noted.

“She jumps out at you unexpectedly though,” Ron said. I nodded.

“She’s just a bit too much of a romantic,” I said. “Most French people grow up like that. Impulsive.”

“Oh are you going to marry Draco as soon as you graduate?” Ginny gasped, smirking at me. I blushed and shook my head, smiling.

“Well Mum will want to put a stop to it regardless,” I said. 

“She keeps asking Tonks around for dinner, reckons Bill might fall for her. I hope he does, I’d much rather have her in the family,” Ginny said. 

“No bloke in his right mind will fancy Tonks when Fleur is around. I mean Tonks is ok looking when she isn’t doing stupid things to her hair and nose-“ Ron began. 

“Ron! She’s a lot prettier in the sense she’s natural and not a veela!” Ginny said.

“She’s LOADS more intelligent- she’s a bloody Auror!” I said.

“Fleur’s not stupid, she was good enough to enter the Triwizard-“ Harry said.

“Not you too!” Hermione exasperated.

“Trust me Harry she’s as much of an airhead as everyone at Beauxbatons, anyone could’ve gotten chosen and still lost. They lack brains!” I said. 

“I just think Harry likes when she calls him ‘Arry,” Ginny said coolly. 

“No I was just saying-“

“I’d rather have Tonks in the family! At least she’s a laugh,” Ginny said. 

“Not recently, she’s still sort of sad,” I mumbled.

“Everytime I’ve seen her she looks more like Moaning Myrtle,” Ron said. I scoffed. 

“That’s not fair! He was her cousin!” Hermione snapped. 

“She thinks it was her fault he died! I heard her say so!” I said.

“Why would she even think that?” Harry asked.

“Because she was fighting Bellatrix before Sirius jumped in!” I said. 

“Survivor’s guilt,” Hermione said glumly.

“Ginny! Come help me with lunch!” Mum called. Ginny grumbled and went downstairs.

“What’s this?” Hermione asked, poking around Fred and George’s boxes. 

“Don’t touch anything we don’t know what some stuff even does,” I warned. 

“Shop’s doing real good. They’re making Galleons!” Ron said excitedly.

“What about Percy?” Harry asked.

“Still not talking to Mum and Dad,” I said solemnly.

“Dumbledore reckons people find it easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right,” Hermione said.

“Oh yeah- he’s going to be giving me private lessons this year,” Harry said.

“And why didn’t you tell us!” I exclaimed as Ron started choking on his toast.

“I’d forgotten. He told me yesterday,” Harry said. “I don’t know what they’re for but they must be about the prophecy.”

“I wish that stupid thing hadn’t gotten smashed. We don’t know what it even said,” I mumbled. Hermione huffed.

“The glass ball wasn’t the only record of the prophecy,” Harry said. “Dumbledore heard it. It looks like I’m the one that’s got to finish Voldemort, at least it said neither of us could live while the other survives.”

“And when were you planning to tell us this?” I asked.

“When the conversation came up!” Harry argued. There was a thump and smoke. Hermione emerged from poking through a box with a black eye.

“Oh Hermione,” I said, rushing forward. I reached for some of the vials Fred and George left on their table. I grabbed a cup and quickly mixed some of the liquids together.

“What in Merlin’s name are you doing, Jules?” Ron asked.

“Healing her eye,” I said matter of factly, dabbing some of the mixed liquid on Hermione’s eye. The black eye faded.

“What goes on in your brain? How do you know immediately what solutions to mix for certain outcomes?” Hermione asked.

“It’s just natural reflex. I come up with a solution in my head and automatically know what can make it,” I said.

“Didn’t Malfoy send you some book about resurrecting the dead that made you start doing experiments on the gnomes outside?” Ron asked.

“Yes it didn’t work because I’m missing the hydrochloric acid-“

“You’re going to make a dead resurrecting potion?” Hermione squeaked.

“I’m going to try to. I could win a Swanson-Avery if I succeed!” I said.

“What is that?” Harry asked.

“It’s an award for new remedies. Really hard to earn one,” I said. Hermione suddenly gasped.

“Wait Jules- when are our OWL results supposed to come?” Hermione asked. 

“This month,” I said, adding another liquid to the solution that made it disappear. 

“Hang on,” Harry said. “I think Dumbledore said they’d be arriving today.”

“TODAY?” Hermione cried. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

She bolted up and raced downstairs. I shrugged and we went down to follow her. No owls had arrived.

“Oh I know I messed up Ancient Runes and Defense...and Arithmancy oh Jules I messed up that one logirithms problem on the test I know it! I know I’ve failed everything!” She cried.

“You’re overreacting!” I said. “There is no way you’ve failed ANYTHING.”

There was a squawk. Four envelopes were dropped on the table by beautiful little owls. 

“Oh, oh, oh,” Hermione said nervously, rushing for her letter.

“Calm down,” I said a bit sharply, handing Harry and Ron their letters and grabbing mine. 

(A/N: I don’t remember if I’ve already given Juliana a middle name. If I have then woops I’m sorry.)

_Juliana Elizabeth Romano has achieved_

Alchemy O

Ancient Runes O

Arithmancy O 

Astronomy O

Charms O 

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Herbology O

History of Magic O

Potions O

Transfiguration O

“Oh Seven Owls Ron! That’s more than Fred and George together!” Mum said proudly, looking over his shoulder. She asked for mine and she gasped loudly. 

“Ten Owls, Jules! You’ve gotten an O on every single one!” She said excitedly. Hermione pouted.

“Don’t tell me you got any less,” I said.

“I got ten O’s and one E in Defense,” Hermione said. 

“You’re ACTUALLY disappointed?” Harry asked.

“Somewhat,” Hermione said. I ruffled her hair.

“Well we’re NEWT students now!” Ron said. 

Included in my letter was my new schedule. I had all my classes from 8:00am to 12:30pm, with Lunch being the last thing listed on my schedule. Likely had the same schedule as Draco.

“You’ve only dropped two classes, Jules!” Ron said, staring at my schedule. 

“Well who needs Astronomy and History of Magic?” I asked. “Besides Hermione only dropped two as well- I believe the same two.” Hermione nodded.

“Well I’m dropping Potions now, I won’t be accepted into Snape’s class,” Harry said glumly.

“I’ll vouch for you! You need it to be an Auror!” I exclaimed. 

“Snape won’t listen,” Harry said.

“Oh Cmon Harry! You, Ron, and I are supposed to become Aurors together,” I said. 

“Snape won’t support that,” Harry said.

“Who knows? Maybe things will be different this year!” I said enthusiastically. 

And I would be right.


	29. Chapter 29

Going into Madame Malkins the day we went to Diagon Alley almost turned out to be a horrible idea at first. 

We walked in while Draco was being fitted. His mother stood next to him. 

He turned and saw us. His eyes lit up when he saw me but his mother scoffed. He hesitated then spat.

“If you’re wondering what that smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in,” Draco said. I stared at him with narrow eyes. We were supposed to be going on a date later and he was acting like this!

Harry and Ron had drawn their wands.

“Draco!” I said sharply. His mother looked at me.

“Who’s this? Why does she address you by your first name?” She asked. She looked me up and down, looking displeased. Draco hesitated to speak, but I stared intently at him.

“That’s the girl I’ve been telling you about, Mother,” he said. He smiled at me. 

“That’s my girlfriend.” 

His Mother stared at me again, her expression having changed. 

“Come here,” she said, waving me over. I walked up to her. She looked at me closely.

“I remember you, from last year. You were in here with your mother- that Ministry lady,” his mother said. I winced. Her eyes widened.

“Oh I’m sorry I forgot,” she said. 

“It’s fine,” I said. 

She touched my face gently. 

“You’re quite pretty,” she said. 

“Thank you,” I replied, a bit confused. I felt like I was being judged in every aspect. Madame Malkin finished fitting Draco and he hopped off the stool. Not even caring if everyone was watching, he grabbed my face and kissed me. 

“Did you finish the book?” He asked.

“Yes. Nearly blew up the kitchen trying another combination for the potion,” I said with a laugh. I noticed Draco’s mother was staring at me again. Draco was smiling, and his mother seemed to have noticed that.

“It seems you make my son quite happy,” his mother noticed. I smiled.

“I should hope so,” I said. Draco’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t introduce you! Jules, my mum Narcissa Malfoy. Mum, my girlfriend Juliana Romano,” Draco said. I shook his mother’s hand. I peeked towards where the others were out of the corner of my eye and noticed they were gone. Probably left to Fred and George’s Joke Shop.

“Well it is nice meeting you, Juliana,” Narcissa said cordially.

“You can call me Jules,” I said. She looked at me again with a wry smile.

“Draco tells me you were there when my husband was arrested,” she said flatly.

“I was unconscious,” I said. She looked confused. 

“I meant as in you were there at the Ministry in general-“

“Yes of course sorry, I was. I’m sorry for what happened I really wish it hadn’t come to that...” I said quietly. She pursed her lips and nodded. 

“Well thank you for your understanding. Draco tells me you too have had your share of great loss. I apologize for that,” she said.

“Thank you,” I replied. Draco beamed. 

“Well we have another errand to run but want to meet back here in about an hour?” Draco asked.

“Sure,” I said. He and his mother bade me farewell and departed. I made my way to the Joke Shop.

I walked up to Ginny and Hermione.

“Ah Jules you’re here. I was just about to ask these ladies if they’ve found our special Wonder Witch products yet,” Fred said. He les us to a wide array of very pink products.

“Best range of love potions you’ll find anywhere,” Fred said.

“Do they really work?” Ginny asked. 

“Certainly they work. For up to twenty four hours at a time, depending on the weight of the boy in question-“

“And attractiveness of the girl!” George added. “But we’re not selling them to our sisters-“ he shot Ginny and I a smirk-“ not when one is in a relationship and when the other has already got about five boys on the go from what we’ve-“

“Ron is a big fat liar,” Ginny said. “What’s this?”

“Pygmy Puffs!” George said. “Miniature puffskeins, we can’t breed them fast enough.”

“Why don’t you just give them small dosages of Helium? You’ve got loads in those balloons- it will make their specific systems capable of breeding like rabbits,” I said.

“I like the way you think,” George said.

“Look Jules,” Hermione said. 

I turned and walked to where Harry and Ron were observing something outside. Draco was walking down the street bu himself. 

“Let’s follow him!” Harry said. 

We walked out, sneaking behind him from a distance. 

“We’re going into Knockturn Alley! I don’t like this!” I hissed.

“Look he went in there!” Ron said. 

Draco was now inside Borgin and Burkes, the known sinister object shop.

“He’s gotten some sort of task from someone,” I deduced. 

“Get these Extendable Ears,” Harry said, taking them out. Hermione reached them nearer.

“Listen!” Ron said.

“....you know how to fix it?” Draco asked.

“Possibly. I’ll need to see it though. Why don’t you bring it into the shop?” Borgin or Burke whatever asked. Let’s say it’s Borgin. 

“I can’t. Just tell me how to do it,” Draco insisted. How to do what? 

“Well without seeing it, it will be a difficult job. I can’t guarantee anything,” Borgin said. 

“Perhaps this will make you more confident,” Draco said. He must’ve given him some money. 

“Tell anyone,” Draco warned. “And there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback? He’s a family friend. He’ll be dropping by from time to time to make sure you’re giving the problem your full attention...”

“There will be no need-“

“I will decide that,” Draco said fiercely. “Well I’d better be off. And don’t forget to keep that one safe- I need it.”

Borgin bowed to Draco. 

I scrambled to have us all hide behind one of the alleys where we would not be seen. When Draco passed I checked my watch. Ten minutes before the hour was up. 

“What was that about?” Ron asked.

“He’s been tasked with something serious. Something dangerous,” I said.

“Jules he could kill someone,” Hermione whispered.

Hermione went in against my protests to ask about the shop. Borgin basically kicked her out.

“I’ll try and find out more during the date but I can’t guarantee anything!” I said, scurrying away. I barely made it on time, breathing heavily. 

“Where did you come from so out of breath?” Draco asked with a smirk.

“Just taking a few laps. I might try out for Quidditch this year,” I lied. He fell for it.

“That means I get to take you flying again,” he said.

“Nope,” I said. He put his arm around me.

“Where to?” He asked.

“I don’t really know this place. What is there?” I asked.

“Well there’s a delicious coffee shop that should still be open,” Draco said. “I don’t know if you drink coffee.”

“I love coffee, lead the way.”

He smiled and wrapped his arm tighter around me. We got to the coffee shop and got two coffees to go.

”We need to talk, Jules,” Draco said.

I really don’t understand why that automatically made me jump to the conclusion of a breakup but it did and I got worried.

”Here or where?” I asked.

”Somewhere private. I’m thinking maybe in one of the rooms of the Leaky Cauldron. Nobody gets disturbed there. This is really...private stuff,” Draco said. He looked uneasy.

”How bad is it?” I asked in a worried tone.

”Well how bad is becoming a Death Eater to you?” Draco asked. I gasped and almost spilled my coffee.

”They didn’t!” I cried. 

“They did. Please Jules come with me I don’t want to talk about this around other people,” he said. 

We went into the Leaky Cauldron. He asked for a room and we went up. He pressed a bunch of pillows against the door to make it soundproof. 

“What is going on?” I asked. 

“They made me a Death Eater! I’m basically my dad’s replacement now!” Draco said. I sat down on the bed. He came and sat next to me. I saw he was shaking. He grabbed his sleeve and pushed it up, revealing the Dark Mark now etched on his skin. I sucked in my breath. 

”Oh my Merlin Draco nonono please don’t be afraid you can talk to me,” I whispered. I cradled him in my arms. He moved to rest his head on my lap. I moved my hand to rest on his head, playing with his hair.

”I’m so scared,” he said, his voice cracking. “They haven’t really told me everything I need to do but I know it’s something really bad and I don’t want to do it, someone is going to end up dying and I don’t want to risk this endangering you,” Draco said.

”Please don’t tell me it’s against Harry,” I whispered. A tear escaped Draco’s eye. I touched his cheek softly, my fingertips tracing the tear’s path. He reached his arm up to hold mine tightly.

”It’s Dumbledore. J-Jules...” he said. He breathed in deeply. “I-I think they want me to k-kill him.”

He burst into quiet tears. I propped him up and hugged him tight, rubbing his back with my hand. I started crying too, feeling afraid for him.

”I don’t want to become a murderer! I don’t want to be a part of this! People are going to get hurt! And if you get hurt or something I’m going to lose my mind!” Draco said. I hugged him even tighter. 

“I know, I know. It’s not going to be easy. It’s wrong, I know it is. But you need to do whatever they tell you for now and find a solution later. You can’t risk them getting angry over you slacking off,” I said. He breathed heavily and let out a shaky breath. 

“I have to quit Quidditch because of the mark and having enough time to complete this task,” Draco said. “I loved Quidditch.”

”Draco I can’t help you with such a task. If It was different...I would. Then you could play Quidditch. But this....it would be so morally wrong for me to pursue this with you,” I said. He coughed. I squeezed him tighter.

”I’m sorry,” I whispered. He sobbed again, crying a bit harder than last time. 

“It’s going to be ok. It’s going to be scary, a painful, dangerous process. But I’m supporting you. I don’t agree with what you’re being asked to do but I’m supporting your doing it because you’re going to need a support system and if I don’t help you with your emotions-“

”-then I’d pitch myself off the Astronomy tower to not do the task or simply refuse and then he’d kill my mother and I,” Draco whispered. He cried more and so did I. I breathed loudly. He pressed his face against my shoulder, his tears dampening my shirt. 

“I’m sorry this is happening to you,” I whispered. He sighed loudly and sat upright. Then he turned again to lay down on my lap. I continued to play with his hair. I moved my hand a few inches back to his neck and began massaging it. He groaned and then relaxed. 

”I hate this. I want to be able to be normal, take you on dates as often as I please, spend all my time with you, not have a family that treats you like crap. I want to be able to snog you whenever I want because I’ll always be in the mood for it. I want to be able to kiss every inch of your body without worrying that I’m going to get murdered,” Draco said. I wanted to chuckle at the last part but this was too serious. 

“I’m sorry I can’t do better Jules,” he whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks again. I leaned down and kissed his cheek.

”This isn’t your fault. You’re going to be ok. I’m right here, I’m not going to abandon you,” I whispered back. 

“Please Jules...don’t tell your friends about this. Please. I just- if the mission is messed up...” he said. I sighed. 

“I won’t tell,” I said honestly. Draco smiled a bit. 

“Do you think some snogging might help?” I asked. He smirked and rolled his eyes. 

“It probably would,” he said. He got off my lap and instead shifted himself so he was on top of me, his hands holding mine. He leaned down and pressed a kiss on my lips. I released his grasp and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands reached out to grab my face. 

I don’t know if it was wrong to hide what he’d told me from the Trio, but I thought it was the right thing to do. Something else was in this scheme, and the events needed to unfold before a solution could ever be found.


	30. Chapter 30

I had sent a letter to Dumbledore explaining what had happened at the Leaky Cauldron. His reply had not made me feel better but it reassured me to keep Draco’s predicament hidden from my friends.

_Dear Miss Romano,_

_I am already aware of Mr Malfoy’s situation._

_I ask of you this, do not tell your friends- especially not Harry- that he has become faithful to the Dark Lord. I will reveal to you that he is indeed being tasked with killing me and Professor Snape will be aiding him. The final plan is for Severus to kill me because we both know Mr Malfoy will not be able to. I warn you, this is not information to be shared with Harry either. He will find out later, I don’t want him to go and try to finish off Mr Malfoy._

_I know you already will be Mr Malfoy’s support system through this process. I ask you stick to your morals- please don’t help him on anything wrong because then the Dark Lord might take interest in you. Simply help him cope with it. Severus has told me he is very, very afraid._

_Again, Miss Romano, please do not tell your friends about this letter or about Mr Malfoy’s situation. They need not know yet. I ask that if they- and inevitably they will- come to their own conclusion that he’s been branded with the Dark Mark, you deny it strongly. Be brave, Juliana. This will not be easy._

_Albus Dumbledore_

I read the letter about a hundred times, but the same meaning was still quite clear. I was not to speak of anything I’d been told in the past forty eight hours. And I would not do so.

* * *

“He’s a Death Eater,” Harry gasped. “He’s replaced his father as a Death Eater.”

Honestly I didn’t expect otherwise. Harry knew the Malfoys enough to know how it would unfold once Lucius was gone. Dumbledore had even predicted this would happen. 

“He’s sixteen, Harry! You think You Know Who would let Malfoy join?” Ron asked.

”It’s very unlikely,” Hermione said. 

They turned to me.

“What?” I asked.

“Don’t ‘what’ us, Jules. You went on a date with him. He didn’t tell you anything?” Harry asked. 

I had to lie. I had promised. 

“Not at all. I doubt Voldemort would let him join. Perhaps until he is 17,” I said. 

Harry stared at me suspiciously. 

“Jules, we saw you two,” Harry said. My heart skipped a beat. “So you’re telling me you went into the Leaky Cauldron with an anxious looking Draco JUST to snog and not to talk?” 

“That’s right. He was anxious because of the coffee. I don’t know why he drank such a high dosage if he’d never drank coffee before,” I said innocently. Hermione and Ron seemed fo buy it more than Harry but were clearly not fully believing the story. I scowled at them all.

“Just because I’m dating him doesn’t mean I’m going to monitor his every emotion and move for you! He didn’t say a word to me about anything and was perfectly fine before the coffee!” I said fiercely. 

Harry got up and left the room. I followed closely behind. Ginny met us by the stairs.

“I wouldn’t go in the kitchen just now. There’s a lot of Phlegm around,” she said, scrunching up her nose.

Harry and I walked in nonetheless. Fleur was sitting at the table very excitedly talking about her wedding plans to my very annoyed Mum. 

“-Bill and I ‘ave already decided on only two bridesmaids, Ginny and Gabrielle will look very sweet togezzer. I am thinking of dressing zem in pale gold, pink would of course be ‘orrible for Ginny’s ‘air!” 

“I think silver might look nice too,” I said. Fleur looked at me and then pondered for a moment. Then she replied in French.

“But silver would contrast bad with Gabrielle’s hair!”

“I think the gold would be worse, she’d look like a walking flame.”

“What other colors would even look good?”

“A baby blue might look really good. Or yellow,” I said.

“Yellow....I like that. With flowers in their hair too....” 

Fleur turned to Mum and spoke in English.

“Perhaps yellow would make zem look even better,” she said. But Mum was no longer paying attention to her.

“I just wanted fo explain the security arrangements for the journey to Hogwarts tomorrow. We’ve got Ministry cars again, and there will be Aurors waiting at the stations,” Mum was telling Harry.

“Is Tonks going to be there?” Harry asked.

“No I don’t think so. She’s been stationed somewhere else from what Arthur said,” Mum replied. Fleur made a sound that nearly sounded like a giggle. 

“She has let ‘erself go, zat Tonks,” Fleur mused. “A big mistake if you ask.”

“Yes thank you,” Mum said sharply. “You’d better got on- Harry and Jules- I want the trunks ready tonight, if possible, so we don’t have the usual last minute scramble.”

I nodded and went to hug her. She smiled and hugged me back. 

“Fleur I have a wonderful book you should read,” I commented. Her eyes lit up. I ran upstairs to get her ‘The Ballad of Laura,’ a French novel my mother had adored about a young witch who fought alongside Napoleon. I knew it might keep Fleur out of my Mum’s hair for a bit.

The next morning we were ready to go to Hogwarts. The Ministry cars were quite spacious but not nearly as comfortable as the French Ministry’s carriages.

Hermione and Ron had to go on prefect duty so I stuck with Harry, who decided he wanted to talk to Dad.

I went with them, of course.

“When we were in Diagon Alley-“

“Am I about to discover where you, Ron, Jules, and Hermione disappeared to while you were supposed to be in the back room of Fred and George’s shop?” Dad asked sternly.

“How did you know?” I asked with a small smirk.

“You’re talking to the man who raised Fred and George,” he said with a smile.

“Well...we followed Draco Malfoy. He went into Borgin and Burkes,” Harry said.

“Harry reckons he’s been branded,” I said icily. “But Draco didn’t tell me anything so I doubt it’s true.”

“Jules is right, Harry. I doubt whether You Know Who would allow a sixteen year old-“ 

“Hurry!” My mum called. I hugged Dad and scurried back onto the train with Harry. Ginny went to go sit with Dean, of course. We did find Neville and Luna and went into a compartment with them. 

“Are we still doing DA this year?” Luna asked.

“No point now that we’ve gotten rid of Umbridge is there?” Harry asked.

“Oh but I liked the DA! I learned loads with you!” Neville said. 

“I enjoyed the meetings too,” Luna said. “It was like having friends.”

“We are your friends Luna,” I said. She smiled at me.

Some voices began to whisper outside the compartment. A tall, dark haired girl popped into the compartment shortly thereafter. 

“Hi Harry, I’m Romilda. Romilda Vane,” she said proudly. She looked at us and scowled. “Why don’t you join us in our compartment? You don’t have to sit with them...”

I made a face at her. She raised an eyebrow at me.

“They’re friends of mine,” Harry said coldly.

“Oh ok,” she said sharply, turning to leave.

“People expect you to have cooler friends than us,” Luna sighed.

“You and I Luna, we’re very cool,” I said with a smirk. She beamed.

“Exactly, you are cool. None of them was at the Ministry. They didn’t fight with me,” Harry said.

“That’s a nice thing to say,” Luna noticed.

“We didn’t face him though,” Neville said. “You did. You should hear my gran talk about you! ‘That Harry Potter’s got more backbone than the whole Ministry of Magic put together!’ She’d give anything to have you as a grandson...”

“She’s perfectly proud to have you, Neville. You helped a lot and you were very brave,” I said. He smiled cheeklily.

Ron and Hermione returned a little while later. 

“Malfoy’s not doing prefect duty,” Ron announced. “He’s just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him when we passed.”

“What did he do when he saw you?” Harry asked. 

“The usual-“ he showed a rude hand gesture. “Dunno why he isn’t out there bullying first years-“

“You forgot to say he asked us where Jules was,” Hermione said a bit irritably. Ron nodded.

“Yeah that’s right he asked YOU where Jules was. And you said you weren’t sure so,” Ron said. I laughed. 

“I’ll go see him later,” I said. 

The compartment door opened. I almost expected to see Draco but instead saw a third year girl.

“I’m supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom, Juliana Romano, and Harry P-Potter,” she said. She blushed, looking at Harry. She quickly handed us some scrolls and darted out.

“What is it?” Ron asked. I unrolled mine.

“An invitation,” I said. “To have lunch with a Professor H.E. Slughorn.”

“What does he want me for?” Neville asked.

“No idea. Suppose we better go,” Harry said. 

We got up and went over to compartment C, where more invitees were sitting. 

“Harry, m’boy!” Slughorn said enthusiastically. “Good to see you! You must be Mr Longbottom- and you Miss Romano! I never thought I’d see those eyes again!” 

I felt my face turn hot.

“My eyes, sir?” I asked.

“Yes, the same green brown eyes your father had!” Slughorn said. There was a beat. I gulped.

“You knew my father?” I asked quietly.

“But of course! Favorite apprentice of mine, he was a Potions master in his prime. He was set on discovering a remedy for tumors,” Slughorn said. 

“I didn’t know that,” I said, sitting next to Harry. Slughorn smiled. 

Inside were also Blaise Zabini (who gave me a small wave), Cormac McLaggen- Gideon Devonshire’s best friend, some Marcus Belby character, and Ginny. 

The meeting was strange. I didn’t get to eat because Marcus Belby ate all the pheasant left by the time we’d arrived. 

“Glad that’s over,” Neville mumbled and we walked out. “Strange man, isn’t he?” 

“Yeah he is a bit,” I said. “How did you end up here Ginny?”

“He saw me hex Zacharias Smith,” she said proudly. I high fived her. “You remember him from the DA of course. He kept on asking what happened at the Ministry and in the end annoyed me so much I hexed him. I thought Slughorn was going to give me a detention but instead he invited me to lunch. Mad, eh?”

“Brilliant, Ginny,” I said, beaming at her.

Harry suddenly fixated his eyes on Blaise.

“I’ll see you guys later...” Harry mumbled. “Jules I need your help.”

“You’re not planning to go spy on Draco are you?” I hissed. 

“Of course,” Harry said. He took out his Invisibility Cloak and threw it over him. 

”You can’t do this Harry! You’ve got no good reason! You can’t snoop around like that!” I said. Now it looked like I was speaking to myself.

“I despise you, Harry,” I said, scurrying behind Blaise.

“Blaise!” I called. He turned around.

“Are you sitting with Draco?” I asked.

“Yeah, compartment is right over here,” he said.

“Alright I’m coming,” I said. I followed him quickly, hoping Harry had the sense to maintain the same speed. 

We got to the compartment and Draco’s eyes lit up. Pansy Parkinson flashed me a sneer. 

Blaise went in and sat down. I held the door open for Harry.

“It’s a bit crowded in here,” I mused. “Where can I sit?” 

Draco looked around. There were no seats available. 

“Just sit on my lap if you’d like,” he said with a smirk. I really hoped Harry was inside by now because Draco had pulled me to sit on his lap. Pansy had let out a growl. Then she’d gotten up and left. 

I moved to the seat where she’d been in. Draco leaned down to rest his head on my lap. I moved my hand out to stroke his hair.

“What did Slughorn want?” Draco asked Blaise.

“Just trying to make up to well connected people. He didn’t manage to find many,” Blaise said.

“Who was there?” Draco asked.

“McLaggen from Gryffindor,” I said. “He’s an airhead!” Draco laughed.

“His uncle is big in the Ministry,” Draco noted.

“Some Belby guy from Ravenclaw was there too,” Blaise said. 

“He came off as a prat to me,” I said. Blaise smirked.

“Then Longbottom, Potter, and that Weasley girl,” Blaise said.

“Longbottom? What’s he got to interest Slughorn?” Draco asked. Blaise shrugged.

“Potter, precious Potter. Obviously he wanted to look at ‘the Chosen One.’ But what about that Weasley girl? What’s so special about her?” Draco asked. I pursed my lips.

“She performed a brilliant hex,” I said. 

“A lot of boys like her,” the goon called Crabbe said. “Don’t you think she’s pretty, Blaise?”

“I wouldn’t touch a filthy little blood traitor like her whatever she looked like,” Blaise said. I scowled and he looked down.

“She could hex YOU into oblivion,” I said coldly. Draco scoffed.

“Jules was there too,” Blaise added. Draco looked up at me.

“What for?” He asked. “Surely it isn’t a known fact how good of an Alchemist you are right?”

“My dad was his apprentice, apparently. He was a Potions master. I never knew,” I said. Draco sighed.

“I pity Slughorn’s taste, for everyone except Jules and Blaise that is,” Draco said, holding my hand tightly. “Maybe he’s going a bit senile. Shame, my father always said he was a good wizard in his day. My father used to be a bit of a favorite of his. Slughorn probably hasn’t heard I’m on the train-“ 

“I wouldn’t bank on an invitation,” Blaise cut in. “He asked about Nott’s father because hey used to be old friends. I don’t think Slughorn’s interested in Death Eaters.”

I felt the room tense up. Harry must’ve been excited.

“Well who cares what he’s interested in?” Draco said. “I mean I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what’s it matter to me if some fat old has-been likes me or not?”

“What do you mean you might not be at Hogwarts next year?” I asked incredulously. Draco hesitated to answer. Duties, of course.

“I might move on to bigger and better things,” Draco said flatly. 

“Do you mean HIM?” Blaise asked. My heart started pounding in my chest.

“Mother wands me to complete my education but personally I don’t see it as that important these days,” Draco said.

“You don’t mean that,” I said. He nodded.

“I mean think about it....When the Dark Lord takes over, is he going to care how many OWLs or NEWTs anyone’s got? Of course not. It’ll be about service and devotion,” Draco said. I grimaced and Draco flashed me a worried look. 

Of course in front of his friends he had to act all tough.

“And you think you’ll be able to do something for him?” Blaise sneered. “Sixteen years old and not even fully qualified yet?”

I was getting nervous. It could slip right now how much I knew. 

“I’ve just said, haven’t I?” Draco asked. “Maybe he doesn’t care if I’m qualified. Maybe the job he wants me to do isn’t something you need to be qualified for.”

There was a silence. 

“I can see Hogwarts,” I said quietly. “We’d better get our robes on.”

Goyle reached up for his trunk and I know dead certain he hit Harry because I heard a gasp of pain. Draco had heard it too and he shot me a look. I didn’t meet his eyes. 

The train arrived and the goons and Blaise left. 

“Draco...” I said.

“You go. I need to check something,” he said.

“You don’t need to check anything, we need to go into the school,” I said. 

“Can you explain to me then Jules, why Harry Potter is inside the compartment?” Draco asked. “Petrificus Totalus!”

Harry’s body fell to the floor. I gasped loudly. 

“I thought so. I heard Goyle’s trunk hit you and distinctly saw something flash in the air when Jules came in,” Draco said. He turned to me. 

“We need to talk, Jules,” Draco said a bit menacingly. 

“You didn’t hear anything I care about, Potter. But while I’ve got you here...” Draco said. He stomped hard on Harry’s face. I screamed as blood gushed out of his now broken nose.

“That’s for my father,” Draco spat. He grabbed the Invisibility Cloak and draped it over Harry. 

“I don’t reckon they’ll find you til the train is back in London,” Draco said. “Se you around Potter. Or not. Come on Jules.”

As soon as we exited the train I saw Tonks. I motioned to the train with my eyes. She looked to a clipboard she was holding and went inside.

When we got to the carriage area we realized we’d missed all the carriages and would need to walk to Hogwarts.

”I told you not to tell him,” Draco said coldly.

”And I didn’t! He deduced himself that you’d been branded and you know what I did? I denied EVERYTHING! I lied to my best friends for you! He had the idea because he saw Blaise leaving and knew I wanted to go see you!” I spat. 

“Why did you help him?” Draco asked.

”I told him not to but he did it anyway! By that time he was under the cloak and I couldn’t even see where he went!” I said angrily. Draco stared at me.

”Are you lying to me too?” He asked.

”No I’m not! I kept your bloody secret like it was my own! I swear to you I told him not to and he did anyway!” I spat. Draco sighed loudly. 

“I wouldn’t betray you like that and you know it,” I said, my voice shaky. “Even if this is the worst possible thing I could NEVER do that to you.” 

“Alright I believe you. It’s not like he heard anything important,” Draco said, still looking angry. I just scowled and we continued to walk to the castle in silence. 

A few times his hand brushed against mine but never grabbing it. After about the fourth time I got irritated with it and just grabbed his hand tightly. I saw him smile out of the corner of my eye.

”You enjoy irritating me like that, do you?” I asked. 

“Maybe,” he said, taking his hand out to wrap it around my shoulders instead. As we walked I leaned on him, barely able to put my head on his shoulder instead of his arm. He’d grown several inches and I hadn’t. I was still 5’5, and him somewhere around 6’2. 

“You’re tiny,” Draco said. 

“Shut up,” I said. He smirked at me. His hand trailed down from my shoulder to my waist, resting right on my hips. 

“I see you’re getting comfortable,” I said. He blushed and moved his hand a few inches up.

”Not that I mind,” I added. He chuckled and moved his hand down to where it was before, perhaps even lower this time around. 

When we got to the Great Hall, the Sorting had ended.

“Thank Merlin we didn’t have to see the Sorting,” Draco said.

”You’re such a typical sixth year! Hating on the first years like you never were one!” I said. 

“That my dear, was five years ago. A time we don’t really talk about because being eleven doesn’t matter when you’re sixteen,” he said. 

“I suppose not,” I said. He kissed me and then went to sit at the Slytherin table while I went to sit at the Gryffindor table. I arrived to see a very worried looking Hermione talking with Ron and Ginny. 

“Where’s Harry?” Hermione asked frantically. 

“Draco left him in the train, paralyzed, under the Invisibility Cloak. There was nothing I could do. I did see Tonks waiting there and I noticed she saw Harry hadn’t exited and went into the train,” I said. 

Harry arrived awhile later, still in his Muggle clothes and still covered in blood.

“Tergeo,” I said, pointing my wand at his face when he sat down. The blood came off.

“Thanks,” he mumbled.

“Look Harry I couldn’t have-“

“No I get it I wouldn’t have wanted you to, he might’ve hurt you,” Harry said. 

“So what did Slughorn want?” Hermione cut in.

“To know what really happened at the Ministry,” Harry said. A lie.

“Ew what’s up with Dumbledore’s hand?” I asked as he took the stand. 

“Nothing to worry about!” Dumbledore called. “Now to our new students, welcome. To our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you.”

“It looks like it died. Maybe it can’t be cured,” Hermione said.

“That looks like a carbon buildup. I could cure that in perhaps three months with constant treatment of a little concoction we made in Alchemy called Dragon’s Tongue,” I said. 

“Mr Filch has asked me to say there is a blanket ban on any joke item bought at the shop called Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes-“ I smirked at Ginny. “Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of Houses as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise.”

“Oh I’m going to miss Lee Jordan’s commentaries!” I said. 

“We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year, Professor Slughorn,” Dumbledore announced. “He’s a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master.”

“Potions?” Harry asked. 

“Professor Snape meanwhile will be taking the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher,” Dumbledore said. I saw Snape smile. 

“Harry you said Slughorn was going to teach Defense!” Hermione said.

“I thought he was!” Harry exclaimed.

There was a beat of silence.

“Well Snape’ll be gone by the end of the year,” Harry said.

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

“The job’s jinxed. No one lasts more than a year! Quirrel died. Personally I’m going to keep my fingers crossed for another death-“

Ron and I burst out laughing but Hermione looked reproachfully at Harry. 

“He might just go back to teaching Potions at the end of the year,” Ron said. “That Slugorn bloke might not want to stay long term. Moody didn’t.”

Dumbledore cleared his throat. 

“Now, as everybody in the this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once again at large and gaining in strength,” Dumbledore said. Everyone was quiet. I looked to where Draco was. He was merely levitating a fork in midair. 

“I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. We are protected in nee and more powerful ways but we still must guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you therefore to abide by any security restrictions. Notify us if anything strange or suspicious is going on. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others safety.”

“But now your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know your top priority is to be well rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!” 

Everyone began to file out. I noticed Harry went to talk to Ron alone. Probably about what’d happened on the train. 

Draco caught up to me.

“I’ll walk you to your Common Room. For protection,” he said. 

“I’m perfectly able to defend myself,” I said with a smirk. 

“Oh I know that I just wanted to walk with you,” Draco said. 

We walked in silence for a bit, Draco’s arm around my waist again for everyone to see. When we got to the door of my Common Room he turned me to face him, pinning me to the wall. 

“You look beautiful, by the way,” he said. I blushed crimson and laughed a bit.

“And you look devilishly handsome,” I complimented him in return. He leaned down and kissed me, softer than usual. Then he pulled away. 

“See you in Alchemy tomorrow. I’m excited to brew that potion,” he said, smirking as he walked away, hands in his pockets. He looked insanely attractive when he did that. 

I entered my dorm and found that Celeste, Seo Jin, and I were the only ones left in the dormitory. 

“What happened to Karina and Chelsea?” I asked.

“Their parents moved them to a different school, not sure which one. They think Hogwarts is too unsafe,” Celeste said. I sighed and went to my bed. 

“So how were your summers?” I asked.

“Good. Gideon and I went on MANY dates,” Celeste said. She was hiding something.

“And what else?” I inquired. Seo Jin giggled.

“She slept with him!” She said excitedly. Celeste scowled at her. I raised my eyebrows.

“Look at you! Are you the same Celeste that just last year was so nervous to speak with Gideon?” I asked. She blushed. 

“What about you Seo Jin?” I asked.

“Oh the usual. I’m still going out with Anthony. He met my parents, they really like him,” she said.

“What about you and your Slytherin Prince?” Celeste asked.

“Still good. He’s begun to be more of a romantic, really. Before he wouldn’t really speak to me if he was with his friends but now he doesn’t care and he’s just been overall sweeter,” I said. Seo Jin and Celeste squealed in delight.

“I can’t wait to attend the wedding!” Seo Jin said.

“Mine? No! Let’s go to Gideon and Celeste’s first, I hear it’s in three months,” I said with a grin. Celeste blushed again. 

It felt good to be back at Hogwarts, despite everything that had happened to me and to everyone else. Beauxbatons had always been much calmer. But for some reason, I felt safer being in a place where things actually happened. It was all a great adventure, and I was ready for it.


	31. Chapter 31

Our final schedules were to be delivered today by Professor Flitwick. He had to first make certain we’d achieved the right grades to go onto the classes we’d signed up for.

“All O’s I see, Miss Romano! Your schedule is fine,” he said, handing it to me. I happily went over to the Slytherin table to see Draco’s schedule.

“They’re twins!” Draco said excitedly. 

“Bless. What did you get on the Alchemy test?” I asked.

“An E, can you believe it? Gibbons said I can get into AP Alchemy anyway,” Draco said proudly. I kissed his cheek. 

“Shall we head to Defense then?” He asked. I nodded. 

We walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to find an irritated looking Snape staring at us.

“I have not asked you to take out your books,” he said, eyeing Hermione who had begun to take her book out. “I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention.”

“You’ve had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe,” Snape said. 

Draco shifted in his seat.

“Naturally these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities. Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an OWL in this subject. I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the NEWT work, which will be more advanced,” Snape continued. 

He started to walk around the room, observing us.

“The Dark Arts, are many, varied, ever changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible,” he drawled on. Harry was making faces. 

“Your defenses must therefore be flexible and inventive as the arts you seen to undo. These pictures-“ he pointed at those on the walls, “give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer for instance the Cruciatus Curse-“ I shivered and Draco touched my hand gently, “feel the Dementor’s Kiss, or provoke the aggression of an Inferius-“

“Has an Inferius been seen then?” Seo Jin squeaked. “Is it definite, is he using them?”

“The DarkLord has used Inferi in the past which means you will be well advised to assume he might use them again,” Snape said.

“You are I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?” 

Hermione and I’s hands shot up.

“Let’s try Miss Romano. Don’t give me a word for word answer from the Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six,” Snape said.

“Whoever you’re dueling won’t know what spell you’re going to use,” I said.

“Correct. Yes those who progress in using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell casting. Not all wizards can do this of course, it is a question of concentration and mind power which some lack,” Snape said. Did he give Harry the stink eye? I believe so. 

“Divide into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other without speaking. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in equal silence. Carry on.”

Draco and I stood up and faced each other.

“What role do you want to take?” He asked.

“I’ll do the shielding,” I said. Draco nodded. He tried to fire a jinx without speaking but I saw his lips move. I concentrated and blocked it with my Shield Charm without uttering a single word.

“Excellent Miss Romano. Ten points for Ravenclaw,” Snape said, passing by us and smiling wryly at me.

“Thanks Professor,” I said.

“I was very pleased to see your OWL scores for Potions and Alchemy,” he said. “I assume you are continuing both?”

“Yep. I’m going to be brewing my own stuff this year,” I said. Snape raised an eyebrow.

“What do you have in mind?” He asked.

“Resurrection Potion. I know it’s only a legend but I think I have the right combination in my head to create it. It’s just going to take some tweaking to get it right,” I said. Snape looked impressed. 

“Mr Malfoy find yourself another partner for the time being, I wish to speak with Miss Romano,” he said. 

“Oh but he’s going to help me with it,” I said. Snape actually smiled.

“Very well. Walk me through the process,” he said.

“I was thinking to get the two strongest amino acids and fuse them with a triglyceride under fire then add glucose and transform that into water that would leave it with the same properties,” I said.

“Don’t forget Jules- we need to steadily add diluted Potassium and Tungsten solutions with a nitrogenous based environment,” Draco said. Snape looked impressed.

“That is a very difficult process that might take months, even years Miss Romano. Plus you’ve skipped over a crucial detail- nothing will react with Tungsten unless you add nitroglycerin and that substance is very very dangerous,” Snape said. I shook my head.

“I didn’t forget. You don’t NEED nitroglycerin if you’re already going to have glucose because the traces in it will activate onto the enzymes I need,” I said. Snape raised an eyebrow. 

“Very well. I would like to see the progress of the potion,” he said. I smiled. Snape looked to where Ron and Harry were and got up. Draco and I moved back to our spot.

“Pathetic, Weasley. Let me show you,” Snape said. He was going to jinx Harry. Instinctively he yelled “Protego” and blasted Snape back. Everyone was staring now. I supressed a snort.

“Do you remember me telling you we are practicing nonverbal spells, Potter?” Snape asked harshly.

“Yes,” Harry said flatly.

“Yes sir,” Snape corrected him.

“There’s no need to call me sir, Professor,” Harry blurted out. Several people gasped but Ron and I grinned. 

“Detention, Saturday night, my office,” Snape said. “I don’t take cheek from anyone Potter.”

Snape then turned to observe the other pairs.

“That was brilliant,” I said with a smirk.

“You shouldn’t have said it!” Hermione hissed.

“He tried to jinx me, in case you didn’t notice!” Harry snapped. “I had enough of that during the Occlumency lessons! Why doesn’t he use another guinea pig for a change? What’s Dumbledore playing at anyway? Letting him teach Defense? Did you hear him talking about the Dark Arts? He loves them!” 

“Well I thought he sounded a bit like you,” Hermione said.

“She’s right Harry. Remember in the DA when you were telling us what it’s like to face Voldemort? You said it wasn’t just spell memorization- you said it was just you and your brains and guts,” I said.

“And that’s what Snape was saying. That it really comes down to being brave and quick thinking,” Hermione added. Harry didn’t say anything. 

Later we were in Potions class. Harry and Ron didn’t think they’d make it into the NEWT class because of their OWL scores but now since Slughorn was the teacher, they were in.

Professor Slughorn had to lend them supplies until they could get their own. 

“Now then,” Slughorn began. “I’ve prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your NEWTs. You ought to have heard of em even if you haven’t made them yet. Can anyone tell me what this one is?” 

Hermione and I’s hands shot up into the air. Slughorn called on me.

“Polyjuice Potion!” I said. He beamed at me.

“Very good! What about this one?” Hermione and I both raised our hands high into the air. But this time Draco raised his hand too.

“Mr Malfoy?” Slughorn asked. 

“Veritaserum!” He said confidently.

“Excellent!” Slughorn said, quite excited. “And this one?” 

Hermione was called.

“Amortentia! The most powerful love potion in the world!” Hermione said.

“Yes! You recognized it I suppose by its distinctive mother of pearl sheen?” Slughorn asked.

“And the steam rising in characteristic spirals. And it’s supposed to smell differently to each of according to what attracts us. I can smell freshly mown grass, and new parchment, and-“ 

Hermione turned red and did not continue.

“May I ask your name my dear?” Slughorn inquired.

“Hermione Granger,” Hermione replied.

“Granger? Could it be you’re related to Hector Dagsworth Granger who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?” Slughorn asked.

“I don’t think so. I’m Muggle born,” she replied. Slughorn’s expression became excited.

“Oho! ‘One of my best friends is Muggle born and she’s the best in our year!’ I’m assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?” Slughorn asked. Harry nodded and Hermione looked so pleased. 

“Yes well ten points to Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor for those brilliant answers! Now can anyone tell me what’s in this one?” Slughorn asked, holding up a small vial. Hermione did not raise her hand. 

“What elements are in it, sir?” I asked. Slughorn looked impressed.

“Do you think you could tell me exactly what potion it is if I told you?” He asked. I nodded.

“Copper and Sulfur,” he said. I raised my hand. Slughorn chuckled and called on me. 

“Felix Felicis! Liquid luck!” I said. He beamed.

“Another ten points for Ravenclaw! Yes, Felix Felicis is a funny little potion. Desperately tricky to make and disastrous if you get it wrong. However if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed- at least until the effects wear off,” Slughorn said.

“Why don’t people drink it all the time?” Terry Boot asked. 

“Because if taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness and dangerous overconfidence. High toxic in large quantities,” Slughorn said. I raised my hand again.

“But wouldn’t those effects be minimized if you added Herb of Chandler?” I asked. Slughorn looked dumbfounded.

“Come to think of it that WOULD indeed allow you to drink it constantly and not be affected,” Slughorn said quietly. The whole class was staring at me now. Slughorn beamed. 

“You are just like your father, Miss Romano! Professor Gibbons tells me you’re also a very gifted Alchemist,” Slughorn said. I blushed as everyone in the class started muttering. 

“Anyway, this little vial will be the prize in this lesson,” Slughorn said. “Enough for twelve hours luck. I must warn you- it is a banned substance in organized competitions. So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only and watch how that day becomes extraordinary!”

I saw Draco’s eyes flash. He wanted that potion.

“Today we are brewing a Draught of Living Death. It is more complex than anything you’ve attempted before and I don’t expect anyone to have a perfect potion. The best wins little Felix. Off you go!” Slughorn said. 

Hermione and I darted to the storage cupboard and grabbed our ingredients.

“May the best win!” She told me. I smirked at her.

“I’m beating your pants off with my potion Hermione,” I said. 

“We’ll see about that!” She said with a grin. 

I began to brew the potion. The beans were not extracting juice easily when being cut so I improvised and peeled it, squeezing the essence into the cauldron. Hermione was growing anxious because she couldn’t extract juice from hers and to my surprise, Harry was on the same step as me.

I began to stir the potion. I noticed Harry was alternating clockwise and counterclockwise turns. I checked the instructions, dumbfounded. I suppose clockwise WOULD help with the mixing because of the reverse effect....I began to spin it only clockwise and saw the color of mine caught up with the color of Harry’s. Mine was not smooth enough at the top though. 

Then time was called. Harry and I’s potions looked identical except for the meniscus that formed. Slughorn came to observe. 

“A very very close competition between Miss Romano and Mr Potter! You’ve both inherited your parents’ Potions talent. However Mr Potter’s potion is in fact a tad more precise than Miss Romano’s. Here is the bottle of Felix Felicis! Use it well!” Slughorn said. 

After that Draco and I headed over to Alchemy.

“Ah my two students!” Professor Gibbons greeted. “You two are the only students I have this year, no one is taking regular Alchemy.” 

“Oh Professor,” I said, frowning. 

“I suspect when you two graduate I’ll have to teach elsewhere! Nobody has any appreciation for Alchemy anymore!” He said solemnly.

“Well our plan this year is to brew that potion. If we succeed we can make Alchemy famous again!” I said. Professor Gibbons looked brightly at me.

“Do you really think that might work?” He asked. I nodded. 

We got to work. It turns out extracting Isoleucine and Arginine from fish was a difficult process.

“Draco you have to be delicate with it, you can’t break the chain!” I snapped as he extracted a broken Arginine chain.

”You do it then!” He growled. I went in and extracted an intact Arginine chain. He scowled and we put it in the test tube.

That alone took half an hour to get precisely right and extracting the Isoleucine chain was even more difficult.

If my calculations were right, I needed five strands of each. Snape was right, this was going to be a long and tedious process.

Draco and I left the test tubes with one strand of each and called it a day. 

“You’re being too aggressive with the tools, you can’t force the chains to break you have to do the hydrolysis thing I showed you,” I said.

”Why can’t we just condense the chains to make new ones?” Draco asked irritably.

”It doesn’t work like that! It’ll have to be done one at a time and then we can condense it to make a five chain polypeptide,” I said. Draco wasn’t too pleased with that. 

“It’s just annoying how it takes so long!” He said.

”It will take us probably half a year, at least,” I said. Draco sighed. He moved to sit down on one of the library couches. I took out my assignments and began to work on them. He reluctantly did the same thing. 

“Do you understand the Potions essay?” He asked after awhile. 

“Yes why?” I asked.

”Can you proofread mine? I think it sounds shitty and inaccurate,” he said. I laughed and took the parchment from him, reading it carefully. 

“You’re being too general about the types of herbs. It needs to be more specific,” I said. Draco groaned and began to rewrite his essay. 

Later I met with the trio, who was arguing about Harry’s potions book which apparently had all the answers to make a better potion handwritten in it. Hermione thought it was bad and he should return it. I supported him keeping it and Hermione was displeased. 

“This could be just like Riddle’s diary!” She hissed.

”I sincerely doubt that,” I said. Ron had just scowled. 

“How did the death potion go for you, Jules?” Harry asked, eager to change the subject. 

“It went ok for the first day. Draco’s trying to rush the process and kept breaking the chains,” I said. Hermione sighed and Ron just huffed.

”It’s Malfoy, what do you expect?” He asked. I rolled my eyes. 

I finished my homework before everyone else and decided to go meet Draco in the library. He was asleep on the couch, his assignments finished but not put away. 

I sighed and sat down, carefully putting them in order and putting them in his bag. I saw a medium sized box was inside. Tilting it, I saw my name was written on it.

”Snooping around?” Draco asked, making me jump.

”I was putting your papers away,” I said, turning red. 

“Well open it,” he said. I took out the box and opened it to see Snickerdoodle cookies inside. I gasped.

”Just like my mum used to make,” I said.

”Yeah I told my mum and she sent those for you,” Draco said. I smiled. Suddenly Madam Pince had swooped over us and demanded we leave the library. 

We didn’t have anywhere to go after that. Draco said it was too late to be hanging around the halls so we might as well go into the Common Rooms. 

“Why don’t you come into the Ravenclaw Common Room? They can’t object, I’ve stayed in the Gryffindor one loads of times,” I said. Draco obliged and we went in. 

We sat by the fire, eating the cookies. It was late, there weren’t any students downstairs anymore. 

“Do you think you’d like having a pet?” Draco asked. 

“I already have Roger,” I said. 

“But like a cat or something. I could get you a cat,” Draco said. 

“I don’t spend enough time in the Common Room to care for a cat,” I sighed. Ron laughed. 

“You know Jules,” he said. I looked up at him.

”What do I know?” I asked. He smiled.

”Besides knowing every Alchemy related thing....did you know that I-I...that I’m starting to fall in love with you?” Draco asked. I felt my face turn red.

He leaned down and cupped my face, kissing me. He put the cookie tray on the nearby table and moved so he was on top of me again. He started trailing kisses down my neck. Then I grabbed his face and kissed his lips again, pushing him back to the other side of the couch so that I was now straddling him. Draco’s hand’s moved from my neck to my hips. He grabbed onto my pants and started pulling them down. At the same time I grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and began unbuttoning it. He slammed his tongue into my mouth and groaned as I finished unbuttoning his shirt, him already having taken my pants off up to my knees. He disconnected for a bit to take his shirt off. I reached for my waist to take mine off. Then he grabbed my face and started kissing me again, his hands reaching down to finish taking my pants off as I started to unbuckle his. 

“JULES!” I heard a voice scream. Draco and I disconnected and looked wildly at the stairs. 

Celeste was staring open mouthed but with a wide grin on her face.

”Celeste!” I groaned. 

“No wonder you hadn’t come to bed!” Celeste said. She started coming downstairs. I fell off the couch and wildly starting pulling my pants back on, grabbing my shirt to cover myself. Draco smirked.

”Cute bra,” he said. I hissed and put the shirt back on. I looked at his bare chest. It was muscular, and surprisingly he had a six pack resting on his abdomen. He smirked as he buckled his pants up again. Celeste came down and stared at us reproachfully. She looked like a mother.

“It’s a school night! You’re going to wake up every Ravenclaw in the dormitory!” Celeste said. I muttered an apology and smirked at Draco. Celeste began leading me upstairs.

”I’m just going to stay here so I don’t get caught roaming the halls,” Draco called. I waved at him and he blew me a kiss goodnight. Celeste dragged me into our room, where I saw Seo Jin sitting on my bed with a smirk on her face.

”What?” I asked.

”Don’t what me- you were about to do it with Draco Malfoy in our Common Room!” Seo Jin shrieked.

”How do you even know?” I asked. 

“I saw you two and I ran to tell Celeste,” she said. I stuck my tongue out at her. 

“Look at our Jules, all grown up,” Celeste said. 

“Oh shut up,” I said. My cheeks must’ve been very very red.


	32. Chapter 32

The Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts came and Harry asked me to come observe. I asked if I could bring Draco and he said yes as long as he didn’t start being a prick. 

When we got to the field it was overflowed with people. 

“Quidditch is really popular this year,” Harry said.

“Oh come on Harry! It’s not Quidditch that’s popular, it’s you! You’ve never been more interesting, and frankly, you’ve never been more fanciable,” Hermione said. 

When Draco and I went to sit in the stands, I noticed Lavender Brown staring fondly in Harry and Ron’s direction. Had she fallen for Harry?

That bloke Cormac McLaggen was trying out for Keeper this year. When Hermione sat down next to me I heard her scoff.

“What’s with you?” I asked.

“I don’t like Cormac McLaggen. He keeps trying to talk to me,” she said. 

“He’s a prat,” Draco said. Hermione sighed and stared onto the field. I tried to fixate my gaze in the same place hers was. Then I realized she was staring at Ron. 

“Hermione, you don’t fancy Ron do you?” I asked. She turned to me abruptly. 

“Why would you say that?” She asked a bit frantically. 

“You’re staring at him,” I said. 

“I don’t know if he’s going to make it, is all. McLaggen is trying out for Keeper,” she said. I cocked an eyebrow. 

“Oh come off it Granger,” Draco said. “There’s nothing wrong with liking Weaselbee. Aren’t you best friends?”

Hermione scowled at Draco. 

“I don’t like Ron,” she said.

“I used to say the same about Draco,” I reminded her.

“Hey!” Draco cried indignantly. I batted my eyelashes at him and smiled cheekily. He pecked my lips. 

Harry was getting irritated. There were about ten silly girls just fooling around on the pitch. That Romilda Vane girl was one of them. Harry sent them off the pitch and they merely came to sit in the stands to continue watching the practice. 

Several non Gryffindor people and non experienced first years came to try out. Harry sent them off the pitch too, looking exasperated. 

The tryouts themselves were quite eventful. Draco was criticizing everyone’s flying and laughing whenever someone broke a tooth. Hermione soon had just joined him and begun laughing at the ridiculous fails people committed. 

By the end of that day there were three Chasers: Katie Bell, Ginny, and a new girl Demelza Robins, and the two Beaters: Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote. 

I could tell Harry wanted to hold off Keeper trials for Ron until much later to have there be less people in the stands but that was not the case. The stands were still filled with people.

That annoying Cormac McLaggen saved four out of five penalties. During the last one he dived to he wrong side. I noticed Hermione had coughed at that exact moment. She had confunded him!

Ron did absolutely excellent and saved all five penalties. McLaggen wasn’t pleased at all and Harry was fierce and told him off for insulting Ron’s ability. 

After the tryouts the trio decided to go visit Hagrid so Draco and I went inside to try and work a little more on our potion. 

The Alchemy classroom was empty. 

We got to work with extracting more Isoleucine and Arginine. We already had three strands, and if we worked hard enough we could have all five ready for tomorrow. 

Draco struggled more with his so it took longer than I expected but we did get the five strands, which meant now we only had to get the triglycerides mixed in using fire.

“If my calculations are correct then this will take a whole month of constant heat!” I said angrily.

Draco grabbed the notes we’d made.

“What type of blood should we use to get the tryglycerides?” Draco asked. 

“Our own. Human blood I suppose will be best,” I said, grabbing a knife and cutting my finger. Draco freaked out.

“You should’ve let me cut myself!” He said. I scowled.

“This is nothing,” I said, letting the blood drip into the test tubes so we could separate it later. 

“Don’t forget you can only add a new set of triglycerides every three days,” Draco said miserably. “The blood will be sitting there awhile.” 

I sat down on the floor and sighed. I looked at Draco. 

“Hey it’s a Hogsmeade day next Saturday, do you want to go?” I asked Draco. He hesitated.

“Jules...I can’t. I need to do something for the task. And plus I have detention with McGonagall,” Draco said. I looked at him and winced.

“Is it bad?” I asked quietly.

“Yes,” he whispered. He sat down next me, leaning on my shoulder. Then he lay down on my lap and I started playing with his hair again.

“Please don’t kill anyone,” I said. He breathed heavily.

“I’ll try not to.”

* * *

We went straight into the Honeydukes when we arrived and found it to be the most beautifully scented place in all of Hogsmeade. 

“Let’s stay here all afternoon!” Ron said. 

“Please,” I said, breathing in deeply. Harry stared at me suspiciously. 

“So Malfoy didn’t want to come?” Harry asked me.

“Nope, he had homework,” I said. He eyed me. 

“Harry, Juliana!” I heard a voice say. 

“Slughorn?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t him. 

We turned and Professor Slughorn came up.

“Ah Harry, that’s three of my little suppers you’ve missed now! It won’t do m’boy. Miss Granger and Miss Romano love them!” Slughorn said.

“Yep,” I said half heartedly. McLaggen had been making it annoying. 

Slughorn left after awhile and Harry decided he wanted to go into the Three Broomsticks. 

Who should we see but Mundungus Fletcher, the thief. 

“Mundungus!” I said in a hiss. 

“Oh ‘ello ‘Arry, Jules. Well don’t let me keep you,” he said, trying to get by with an enormous suitcase. 

“Are you selling this?” Harry asked. 

“Oh well gotta scrape a living,” Mundungus said. I reached down to grab a silver object. 

“Gimme that!” He cried. I stared at him full of loathing.

“This has the Black family crest on it. You stole it from Sirius’ house,” I said darkly. Harry stared and his eyes narrowed.

“What did you do, go back the night he died and strip the place?” Harry snarled. 

“No!” Mundungus shouted.

I lunged to take the suitcase from him. Harry grabbed Mumdungus’ throat. He disapparated.

“That thieving little-“

“He nicked Sirius’ stuff!” Harry snarled. 

“People are staring stop shouting!” Hermione implored.

We went and sat down. I sipped my Butterbeer slowly, trying to enjoy it. Ron was staring at Madame Rosmerta. I noticed Hermione was getting jealous. 

We left after awhile and on the way saw Ginny and Dean cozied up at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop. Ron had not been pleased. 

We were walking behind Katie Bell and her friend, I think her name was Leanne. They were arguing about something but I didn’t pay attention. 

That was- until Katie collapsed.

Leanne screamed. The package Katie had been holding was on the floor. 

“Katie!” I cried, running toward her. 

Then it only got stranger.

Katie’s body started moving side to side. It was being dragged across the floor. Then suddenly her body rose into the air. She looked graceful, like a dancer. But it was strange- her arms were extended and she looked peaceful even as her hair whipped around because of the wind. 

The eerie feeling about it didn’t end there. Her eyes snapped open suddenly and she screamed. It looked like she was experiencing a great pain, what that was we did not know. 

Her body flew to the floor and I rushed forward to catch her. She fell on top of me and continued thrashing. I notice her tongue was bending back in her mouth and her eyes were rolling to the back of her head. She was dying. 

“I’m going for help!” Harry yelled, sprinting to the school. 

“I need firewhiskey and bacon!” I screamed. Nobody moved.

“SOMEONE GET ME SOME FIREWHISKEY AND BACON SHE’S DYING!” I screamed even louder. Ron and Hermione went and sprinted.

“Leanne hold her legs up,” I demanded, pinning Katie down. Leanne grabbed her legs and propped them up. I took a bobby pin out of my hair and poked it into Katie’s skin.

“What the bloody hell are you doing?!” Leanne screamed just as Ron came back with some bacon and firewhiskey. 

“I’m saving her LIFE!” I snarled. 

I grabbed the bacon and dipped it into the firewhiskey. I waved my wand and the solution became purplish. I removed the bobby clip and poured the solution into the hole that had been made. Katie stopped thrashing and she began to breathe normally, her tongue resting back down and her eyes closing themselves. 

“What did you do to her?” Hermione gasped. 

“Whatever happened to her caused her brain to overflow with toxic chemicals that normally come in small dosages. The firewhiskey and bacon solution would reset the levels before she died,” I said. 

Hagrid and Harry came running. Hagrid picked Katie up a began running back into the castle.

“What happened, Leanne?” I asked.

“I don’t know!” She sobbed. She bent down to pick the package up.

“Wait!” Harry said. 

There was a necklace inside.

“I saw that at Borgin and Burkes ages ago! It’s cursed! How did Katie get this?” Harry asked. 

“That’s why we were arguing! She came back from the bathroom with it, saying she had to deliver it to somebody at Hogwarts! She looked funny when she said it...oh I bet she’d been Imperiused and I didn’t realize!” Leanne wailed. 

“We need to get to the school,” I said. I grabbed the package, careful not to touch the necklace. 

“I bet it was Malfoy,” Harry said scathingly. “That’s why he didn’t come with you Jules!”

“It can’t have been Draco!” I said, although inside I was starting to think it was. 

“I remember he looked at it when I was in Borgin and Burke’s hiding from him and his dad! He must’ve gone back to buy it!” Harry said.

“I dunno Harry,” Ron said. “Leanne says she got it from the GIRLS bathroom-“

“She didn’t have to be IN the bathroom-“

“It’s McGonagall!” I breathed. 

“Hagrid says you five saw what happened to Katie Bell- upstairs in my office at once please! What are you holding, Romano?” She asked.

“The necklace she touched,” I said. 

“Good lord,” she said, snatching it from me. Filch came shuffling and she handed it to him. “Take this to Professor Snape at once and don’t touch it! Keep it wrapped in its packaging.”

She led us into her office, her nostrils flaring.

“What happened?” She asked sharply. 

Leanne began to explain her story, but then burst into tears. 

“Go to the Hospital Wing, please Leanne and get Madame Pomfrey to give you something for the shock,” McGonagall instructed. 

She turned to us.

“What happened when she touched it?” McGonagall asked.

“She rose into the air and started screaming like she was in so much pain and then she started seizing and dying!” I cried. McGonagall looked at me.

“Dying? How do you know she was dying?” She asked.

“Her tongue flopped back and her eyes rolled! I knew right away her brain had overloaded on toxic chemicals so I got firewhiskey and bacon solution to stabilize her,” I said. McGonagall stared at me curiously.

“Miss Romano I do believe you saved her life,” McGonagall said quietly. I gulped.

“I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie that necklace, Professor,” Harry blurted out. McGonagall turned to him sharply. 

“That is a very serious accusation Potter! Where is your proof?” She demanded.

“I don’t have any!” Harry said. He then started to explain what we’d seen. 

“I understand Mr Potter but we can’t pin the blame on Mr Malfoy purely because he visited the shop where the necklace might have been purchased. The same is probably true of hundreds of people-“

“That’s what I said!” Ron mumbled.

“And in any case we have put stringent security measures in the place! The necklace can’t have entered the school without our knowledge!” McGonagall said.

“Exactly!” I said, turning to Harry. I was not starting to wonder how Draco had gotten it in. 

“And what’s more, Mr Malfoy wasn’t even at Hogsmeade today! He was in detention with me!” McGonagall said. Harry just looked bummed out.

“Now I need check on Katie Bell. Good day,” McGonagall said, turning to leave. 

Harry looked pretty angry.

“Who do you reckon Katie was supposed to give that necklace to?” Ron asked.

“Anybody,” Harry said. “Dumbledore, or Slughorn, or-“

“Or you,” Hermione whispered.

“Well Katie would’ve just turned around and given it to me. It would’ve made much more sense to deliver the parcel outside Hogwarts, what with Filch searching everyone who goes in and out. I wonder why Malfoy told her to take it into the castle?” Harry said.

“Draco wasn’t there! He didn’t do this!” I snarled. 

“He could’ve had an accomplice-“

“Stop accusing him! Didn’t you hear McGonagall? He was in detention! And the goons are too stupid to do something like that correctly!” I spat. Harry just scowled and stormed away. 

I ran as fast as I could to the classroom where Professor Snape was.

”Miss Romano I heard what you did and I’m very proud-“ 

“How do I do it?” I asked, feeling tears coming into my eyes.

”What’s the matter?” He asked.

”Dumbledore told me to support Draco through everything but how do I do it? I KNOW he did this to Katie and I was so afraid, she almost DIED in my arms and I’ve already had so many people in my life die I felt so broken when I saw her in so much pain! How do I help Draco deal with this emotionally when I can’t?” I wailed. 

Snape grabbed a potion from his desk and gave it to me.

”I’m not going to drink a Draugh of Peace!” I snarled. “I need advice!” 

“It won’t be easy, Dumbledore has already made that clear. We both knew the instant we wrote that letter to you that you’d instantly agree but never fully understand until something like this happened. You need to be strong, Juliana!” 

“I am being strong!” I snapped. “But Katie is my friend and I care about her too!” 

“It will clash greatly with all the morals you have, Juliana, but you need to push through it not because we asked you to but because you offered to. I think it was a very brave thing you did to partake in helping Draco through the process. It will test your limits and you will feel so helpless, but remember why you’re doing this. You chose because you cared. And you care about him, I can see in the way you look at him. You’ve been a tremendous support system to him already simply for keeping it a secret. He needs you more than ever now, because otherwise he will fail and it will not end well for him.”

I growled and he handed me the Draught of Peace. I shoved it away and breathed deeply.

”I take it you will be angry with him. And you have every right to be,” Snape said. I nodded furiously.

”Thanks Professor. I’m going to talk to him,” I said, leaving the classroom. 

I raced to the Alchemy classroom. I found Draco in there, extracting the tryglycerides. Professor Gibbons wasn’t there. 

“Do you want to know what happened while you were in detention? How the plan unfolded?” I snarled. He jumped. 

“What are you talking about?” He asked.

”The necklace! Katie Bell got cursed! She almost died in my arms! If I hadn’t gotten ahold of firewhiskey she’d be dead!” I snapped. Draco’s eyes widened.

”What no that’s not how it was supposed to go!” He cried. 

I flung myself to the ground, sobbing. I was shaking, so afraid. I’d felt nothing but adrenaline had kept me continuing to save Katie’s life. I’d been so scared...

Draco ran over to hug me but I pushed him away.

”Not right now!” I spat. “She almost died, Draco, she almost died! I was so afraid! Who was that necklace supposed to kill?” 

“Dumbledore,” Draco said. I felt more angry tears seeping out.

”Why are they making you do this?” I wailed. “I can’t- I can’t handle this! I don’t know what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been there!” 

Draco came closer and hugged me. I noticed he was crying too.

”I’m sorry...I’m so so sorry,” he whispered, stroking my hair. I sobbed loudly into his chest.

”I want to be able to support you but I don’t know how! This whole thing is against everything I believe in!” I said. He hugged me tighter. 

“I don’t want to do this,” he said quietly. “I really don’t. I never wanted to hurt anyone.”


	33. Chapter 33

“Slughorn’s going to have a Christmas Party, Harry, and there’s no way you can wriggle out of attending because he actually asked me to check your free evenings so he could be sure to have it on a night you can come,” Hermione said.

I burst out laughing. That Slughorn was dedicated!

“And this is another party for Slughorn’s favorites, isn’t it?” Ron asked rather saltily.

“Yep,” I said.

“Slug club. Pathetic,” Ron mumbled. “Well I hope you enjoy your party. Why don’t you try hooking up with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug-“

“Ronald Weasley!” I hissed.

“We’re allowed to bring guests,” Hermione said coldly. “And I was going to ask you to come, but if you think it’s stupid then I won’t bother!” 

Ron looked a bit taken aback.

“You were going to ask me?” He said.

“Yes,” Hermione spat. “But if you rather I’d hook up with McLaggen-“

“No I wouldn’t,” Ron said. 

I knew for a fact Hermione liked Ron but now I was starting to realize that Ron liked her back! The idiot wasn’t trying hard enough to show her he liked her, instead he was making it worse. 

Katie Bell had been moved to St Mungos and now Harry was short a Chaser, so he asked Dean Thomas. 

Unfortunately replacing Katie wasn’t the only problem Harry had faced. Ron’s nerves were making practices worse- to the point where he accidentally punched Demelza, which led to Ginny yelling at him. 

What’s worse it that after their practice we ran into Ginny and Dean snogging in the hallway.

“Oy!” Ron cried.

“What?” Ginny said.

“I don’t want to find my own sister snogging people in public!” Ron snapped.

“This was a deserted corridor till you came butting in!” Ginny argued. Dean looked awkwardly at Ron. I grimaced.

“Uh...let’s go back to the Common Room,” Dean said.

“You go! I want a word with my dear brother!” Ginny said. Dean left.

“Right,” Ginny said angrily, glaring daggers at Ron. “Let’s get this straight. It’s none of your business who I go out with or what I do with them-“

“Yeah it is!” Ron said. “D’you think I want people saying my sister’s a-“

“Ron!” I snarled.

“A what?” Ginny shouted.

“He doesn’t mean anything Ginny!” Harry exclaimed, though I could tell he agreed with Ron. 

“Oh yes he does! Just because he’s never snogged anyone in his life, just because the best kiss he’s ever had is from our Aunt Muriel-“

“Shut your mouth!” Ron yelled furiously.

“I won’t!” Ginny spat. “I’ve seen you with Phlegm, and Jules can testify-“

“Don’t include me in this Ginny,” I said coldly. 

“-you want Phlegm to kiss you on the cheek all the time! It’s pathetic!” Ginny said. “If you went out and got a bit of snogging done yourself you might not mind so much that everyone else does it!”

Ron and Ginny pulled their wands out and Harry and I jumped between them.

“Ginny you’d kill him,” I said, pushing her back by the shoulders.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Ron said, embarrassed. “Just because I don’t do it in public-“

Ginny let out a cruel laugh and pushed me aside.

“Been snogging Pigwidgeon, have you?” She asked maliciously. “Got a picture of Auntie Muriel under your pillow?”

“You-“ Ron spat as he shot some spell. I pulled Ginny out of the way before it hit her.

“Ron, stop it!” I screamed.

“Harry’s snogged Cho Chang!” Ginny announced. “Hermione snogged Viktor Krum! Jules snogged Draco loads of times, she’s almost slept with him!”

I felt my cheeks burn as Harry turned to look at me.

“It’s only you who acts like it’s disgusting, Ron! And that’s because you’ve got about as much experience as a twelve year old!” Ginny spat, storming away. 

Harry and Ron both turned to me.

“What the bloody hell did she mean you almost slept with Malfoy?” Ron asked. 

“We just get carried away snogging sometimes!” I said fiercely. “Nothing’s happened!”

“He cursed Katie Bell, Jules!” Harry said. 

“No he didn’t!” I spat. 

“Great,” Ron said in an annoyed tone. “Now I have two sisters who people are going to think are-“ 

“Don’t even say it!” I spat. “I can do whatever I please and so can Ginny!” 

I turned and stormed away to the Alchemy room. 

The triglycerides had finished being added two days. If I wanted to, I could add the glucose right now. 

I furiously took out the jars of supplies and began adding the sugar, mixing it in the solution and stirring vigorously. 

I inhaled some of the fumes. The solution was ready to turn into water. 

I spent the next water using my anger to turn the solution into water that would share the same properties as it despite being water. 

When I finished I groaned in frustration because now I had to wait two months for the solution to completely settle before I could continue. 

I went back to the library to read up on anything else that might be helpful. Draco was conveniently in there.

“Now we wait two months,” I said, still quite irritated. I plopped onto the couch next to him.

“What’s up with you?” He asked.

“Ron’s being such an older brother right now,” I said. 

“What do you mean by that?” Draco asked, cracking his knuckles. 

“He’s being all mean to Ginny about her snogging Dean and he’s mad about you and I and how passionate we get you know..and it’s annoying because he acts like he really has any authority over us. He hasn’t even snogged anyone!” I said. Draco laughed wryly.

“That’s why I’m glad I don’t have a younger sister. I think I’d be the same way,” Draco said. I sighed and rested my head back on the couch, closing my eyes. 

“Will you come to Slughorn’s Christmas Party with me?” I asked. 

“Wait really?” Draco asked. I looked at him and made a face.

“No it was a joke. I’m taking Pansy,” I said sarcastically. Draco smirked.

“I’d like to see you even last five minutes without wanting to murder her,” Draco said. I rolled my eyes.

“But yes I’ll go with you,” Draco said. I smiled.

“Perfect. Wear something nice,” I said. It was his turn to be sarcastic.

“You know I think I might wear my new pajamas with owls on them,” he said. I raised an eyebrow.

“Wait do you really own owl jammies?” I asked.

“Of course not. I don’t wear pajamas unless you count shorts,” Draco said.

“Yeah that’s TECHNICALLY not a pajama,” I said. 

“Do you wear pajamas?” Draco asked.

“I sleep naked,” I said, sarcastically again but Draco must’ve thought I was serious because he bit his lip.

“You pervert,” I said with a smirk. “I just wear a t shirt and shorts.”

“I knew that,” he said. 

“Of course you did,” I replied.

The Gryffindor versus Slytherin game came up and Draco was miserable about not being able to play. Meanwhile Ron was just talking about quitting. I suspect if Harry and I hadn’t coaxed him into eating the week before the game he would’ve simply forgotten and eventually died. 

“Good luck Ron!” Lavender Brown called from some seats away. 

“I don’t get a good luck?” I scoffed.

“What do you need one for?” Ron asked.

“I’m going to be out there cheering like mad, I could pull a muscle or get nuked by a Bludger,” I said. Harry laughed and then fumbled for something in his pocket.

I noticed he discreetly poured Felix Felicis into Ron’s drink. Hermione saw and she snapped.

“I saw that Harry,” she spat.

“What?” Harry asked innocently.

“You’ve put something in that drink!” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry said. I smirked as he put the bottle away. 

“Don’t drink it Ron!” Hermione said. 

“Stop bossing me around, Hermione,” Ron said. She looked indignant. 

“You could get expelled for that! I’d never have believed it of you Harry!” Hermione whispered.

“Confunded anyone lately?” Harry hissed back. Hermione turned red and left angrily. 

I was sitting in the stands later with a miserable Draco and an angry Hermione. It was the most awkward position to be in, right between them. Draco had let me paint his cheeks with red and gold streaks but now looking so sad I wondered if it was making him feel worse. 

“Want me to wipe that off?” I asked.

“Can you wipe the mark off my arm?” He asked solemnly. I sighed loudly.

“If I could I would. I suppose I could if I tried hard enough but that might not be to your advantage,” I said. He sighed.

The game began and that’s when I realized that idiot Zacharias Smith had been made commentator. He SUCKED.

“Oh and here comes Slytherin’s first attempt on goal, it’s Urquhart streaking down the pitch-“

Draco stood up, excited. Then I stood up and cheered loudly.

“-Weasley saves it. Well he’s bound to get lucky sometimes, I suppose...”

“Why is his commentary so boring?” Draco snarled.

“Yeah he should spice it up and be as excited as you and your lot were singing Weasley Is Our King,” I said. Draco burst out laughing.

“I remember when you got mad and you were saying I was directing a bloody choir-“

“You were! I bet you sat there for hours thinking of rhymes and channeling your inner poet!” I said. Draco snorted.

“And I bet you had endless rehearsals for the pitches to match and to make sure everyone knew the lyrics! Might as well become a choir teacher when you graduate!” I said. Draco laughed and covered his face with his hands.

“Don’t tell me it went down any different,” I said fiercely. Even Hermione managed a laugh after that. 

The rest of the game was uneventful. Zacharias Smith had been making comments about the Weasleys only being on the team because Harry liked them but finally shut up when Ginny scored her fourth goal and Ron make his seventh save. 

After awhile some Gryffindors began singing the nice version of Weasley Is Our King and Draco smirked at me.

“Your choir is worse than mine. Their pitches don’t mix well together,” he said.

“You don’t even know how to sing,” I said with a scowl. 

Draco began singing softly enough so only I would hear him. My jaw dropped open and Hermione and I both stared at him incredulously.

He was singing right on pitch, hitting every note. His voice was steady and he sang confidently. It flowed beautifully. 

“Malfoy, you can SING?” Hermione asked.

“Don’t mention it to ANYONE Granger,” Draco said. But he smiled proudly. 

I started to sing too and Draco’s eyes opened wide.

“YOU can sing too,” he said. I rolled my eyes.

“I should be able to. I didn’t take that idiotic choir class in Beauxbatons for nothing,” I said. 

Zacharias Smith’s next comment brought my attention back to Quidditch.

“I think Harper of Slytherin’s seen the Snitch! Yes he certainly has seen something Potter hasn’t!”

Hermione and I shot up. 

“COME ON HARRY!” We screamed. 

He dove behind Harper. He must’ve told him something nasty because Harper somehow let the Snitch go between his fingers.

“Did you confund Harper?” I asked Hermione jokingly. She rolled her eyes. 

Ginny promptly crashed into the commentator podium after Harry caught the Snitch. Hermione and I burst out laughing and even Draco cracked a smile.

Draco went back to his Common Room afterward to finish the Transfiguration homework he kept slacking off on. I followed Hermione to where Harry was.

“You spiked his drink with Felix Felicis,” Hermione said scathingly to Harry.

“Nope. I only pretended to put it in so Ron would feel lucky. It gave him more confidence.” 

After that we went right into the Gryffindor celebration for the victory. 

Hermione and Ron both disappeared soon after and Ginny pointed out that Ron was in fact snogging Lavender Brown while people circled and watched. 

“Oh Merlin,” I said, grimacing as Ron snogged all the oxygen out of Lavender.

I couldn’t even continue to celebrate properly because I began to worry about Hermione. Harry and I left the party to find her, and of course she happened to be in an empty classroom. 

She has little yellow birds circling around her head. I sighed and went to sit beside her, Harry on the other side.

“Just practicing,” she said sadly. “Ron seems to be enjoying the celebrations.”

“He’s an idiot, Hermione. He took Ginny’s comment to heart-“

Of course Ron and Lavender burst in at the moment.

“Oh,” Ron said as he walked in and saw us three together. 

“Oops,” Lavender said with a giggle, leaving the room. 

“Hi Harry, Jules! Wondered where you’d got to,” Ron said, not looking at Hermione.

“Yeah you know we just came here to have a nice little chat,” I said coldly. “You know, away from the people at the party doing absurd things.”

“You shouldn’t leave Lavender waiting outside,” Hermione said. “She’ll wonder where you’ve gone.”

Ron began to walk out and Hermione sprang her birds into action.

“Oppugno!” 

The birds flew into Ron and began attacking him. He yelled and started swatting them away. Hermione gave a little sob and stormed away. 

“Leave him like that Harry he deserves it,” I said, darting after Hermione.

Luckily she wasn’t a fast runner because I caught up to her quickly. 

“Hermione!” I said. She looked at me and I saw her wipe a tear from her eyes. 

“Let’s go to my Common Room,” I said softly, putting my arm around her. She nodded glumly and followed me in. 

Draco was taking a nap on the couch when I went in. He woke up when I arrived but I waved at him that now was not the time. He nodded and curled up again. Hermione let out a small laugh.

”How does he get in?” She asked.

”He answers the question. He’s quite smart,” I said. 

I took Hermione into my dorm. Seo Jin and Celeste luckily weren’t there. I opened my trunk and produced some cookies. I probably had enough Snickerdoodle cookies to feed a small country by now since Narcissa Malfoy sent me a batch basically every weekend. 

Hermione ate the cookies and continued to cry.

”He’s a bloody IDIOT. He really doesn’t know how to act around a girl at all,” I said. She rolled her eyes and squeezed a few more tears out. 

“I KNOW he likes you Hermione,” I said, rubbing her back. “He just can’t show it. He’s also quite jealous since McLaggen fancies you- he must feel he isn’t good enough for you.”

”McLaggen does not fancy me,” Hermione hissed.

”Yes he does. Gideon told me,” I stated. She sighed and shoved the rest of the cookie into her mouth.

”I’m going to go to the Christmas party with McLaggen to spite him,” she said.

”Only if you think you can tolerate listening to McLaggen for that long,” I said. She laughed and laid down on my bed.

”I think I need to sleep,” she mumbled. 

“You sleep then Hermione,” I said. She curled up and closed her eyes. I stroked her hair, and started singing a French lullaby that my mother used to sing to me whenever I couldn’t sleep. In no time at all she fell fast asleep. 

I covered her with my blanket and put the cookies away in the trunk. Then I went downstairs to see if Draco was still here. 

He was, and he was fast asleep as well. Not wanting to wake him, I went back up for a blanket and draped it over him. He woke up anyway. 

“Mm?” He asked, opening his eyes. He saw me and smiled, opening his arms. 

I laughed and moved to lay down next to him, wrapping my arms around him.

”What’s wrong with Granger?” He asked with a yawn.

”Ron’s being a jerk again,” I said. Draco yawned and shook his head.

”He’s dumb,” he said. He curled up and soon afterward started snoring lightly. I just smiled and hugged him tighter, resting my head on his shoulder and falling asleep.


	34. Chapter 34

Ron dating Lavender meant of course that I hung out more with Hermione now and soon Harry began doing the same because Ron wouldn’t even notice him. That way nobody would have to witness Ron and Lavender’s over exaggerated display of true love. 

“He’s at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes,” Hermione said. “I really couldn’t care less.”

But both Harry and I knew she was still furious because she kept accidentally ripping her parchment by stabbing the quill in it while writing.

Harry was reading that wretched Potions book all the time now and I’d begun to feel uneasy about what he was finding there. 

I’ll admit that before I saw no harm in it, but twice I noticed the Prince or whatever had added strange instructions that chemically were dangerous if one did not have a steady hand. I had also noticed several spells that according to their latin meaning were not very good spells. Harry simply did not care.

“For the last time you two,” Harry said exasperated. “I’m not giving back the book. I’ve learned more from the Half Blood Prince than Snape or Slughorn ever taught me-“

“I don’t CARE, Harry! I already told you that the methods are unethical and could get your head blown off!” I snapped. Harry ignored me.

“Um Harry,” Hermione said. He stared at her, probably expecting her to comment on the book. She didn’t. “I went into the girls bathroom just before coming here and there were about a dozen girls in there including Romilda Vane. They were talking about slipping you a Love Potion. They’re hoping to get you to take them to Slughorn’s party- I suspect the love potions are from Fred and George’s shop. That worries me because they probably work.”

“Oi Hermione why didn’t you confiscate them?” I asked. I was going to slaughter Romilda Vane.

“They didn’t have them,” she said scornfully. “They were merely discussing tactics. I doubt the Half Blood Prince can give you an antidote for a dozen different love potions at once. Invite someone to go with you already, they’re getting desperate.”

“There isn’t anyone I want to invite,” Harry mumbled.

“Well be careful what you drink then,” Hermione said. 

“How are they even getting them into school? Aren’t owls being checked?” Harry asked.

“They’re disguised as perfumes and cough potions,” I said brightly. “Genius in that sense because it’s part of their Owl order service- although it could potentially be bad in this case.”

“How do you even know that?” Harry asked, eyeing me suspiciously. 

Hermione also looked at me curiously. 

“I may have helped teach them the charm,” I mumbled. Harry grimaced. 

“Well Filch is being fooled. These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else! So why couldn’t Malfoy have brought the necklace into the school?” Harry asked.

“Oh cut it out!” I snapped.

“Secrecy sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms,” Hermione explained. “They’re for dark objects. They would’ve found one in the necklace quickly. The bottles on the other hand...well Love potions aren’t dark or dangerous-“

“Yes they are Hermione,” I said. “Slughorn said it himself!” 

Madame Pince then swooped over us to kick us out of the library, scolding Harry as she peered over his shoulder and saw the Prince’s book with writing all over its pages. 

We went back to the Gryffindor Common Room and were immediately ambushed by Romilda Vane.

“Hi Harry! Fancy a gillywater?” Romilda asked. I rolled my eyes.

“Did you know gillywater can cause ulcers?” I asked. Romilda gave me the stink eye. “Yeah Romilda, but ugly ulcers similar to the ones all over your face...”

“What is that supposed to mean?” She snarled.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I said scathingly. She turned back to Harry. 

“Well take these anyway,” she said, thrusting a box into his hands. “Chocolate Cauldrons. They’ve got firewhiskey in them. My mum sent them to me, but I don’t like them.”

“Er thanks,” Harry said. 

“What an unappreciative twit,” I said saltily. She stared at me coldly.

“At least I have a mum,” Romilda said icily.

“That was my point you daft prat,” I said, pushing Harry and Hermione away. 

Unfortunately Ron and Lavender were making out in plain sight so Hermione went to bed instantly, leaving me to head back to my Common Room. 

The next day Harry asked Luna to go to Slughorn’s party with him and she was overjoyed.

“Oh I feel so special! I’ve never been asked to a party before,” she told me as we headed to dinner.

“I’m glad, Luna. Hey perhaps later we can get ready together in my dorm,” I said. Luna’s eyes widened.

“I’d like that! I’ll see you, Jules,” she said excitedly, heading to the Ravenclaw table. 

I went and sat next to Harry. Unfortunately Ron, Lavender, and her friend Parvati were there.

“Oh hi Jules! And hi Hermione!” Parvati said suddenly. I turned and saw Hermione had arrived behind me. 

Hermione smiled in the most un Hermione-ish way ever, like a giddy girl.

“Hi Parvati! Are you going to Slughorn’s party tonight?” Hermione asked. Ah, she was going to show off her date.

“No invite,” Parvati said. “You’re going though right?”

“Yes,” Hermione said. “I’m meeting Cormac at eight-“

Ron made a strange sound.

Harry leaned over to whisper in my ear. “That sounded like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink.” I snorted.

“Cormac McLaggen? You’re going with him?” Parvati asked incredulously.

“Yes, the one that almost became Gryffindor Keeper,” Hermione said. What a petty comment!

“Are you going out with him then?” Parvati asked, her eyes wide as saucers.

“Oh yes! Didn’t you know?” Hermione said, adding a giggle. I decided to play along.

“Yes they’ve been going out just recently- today’s meant to be their first real appearance together,” I said. Parvati looked surprised. 

“You really like your Quidditch players, Hermione! First Krum then McLaggen,” Parvati said.

“I like really good Quidditch players,” Hermione said. Ron was staring blankly at the table. 

“Well we need to go get ready for the party,” I said quickly, getting up and grabbing Hermione’s arm. “Let’s get Luna.” 

We went to the Ravenclaw table to fetch Luna then all walked to the Ravenclaw Common Room. 

Luna decided to wear a strange silver dress that was cute but probably not for a Christmas Party. She put her radish earrings on and a butterbeer cork lenses. Hermione advised her against it but she put her Spectrespecs on too. 

Hermione chose a beautiful short lilac dress that fell off her shoulders. I’d curled her hair so it fell in delicate curls down her shoulders. I’d lent her my purple diamond earrings and a silver moon locket my grandma had given me for my 13th birthday. 

I decided to wear a short red dress that I’d bought about a year ago for a party I never ended up attending. I curled my hair ever so slightly. I loved having short hair now, it looked nice sitting right above my shoulders. 

Luna didn’t want to wear any makeup but Hermione and I put a tad bit on.

Luna headed out to meet Harry a bit before we left. 

“That was so evil, Hermione Jean Granger,” I said with a grin as I finished applying lipstick. She rolled her eyes and smirked.

“I had to do something!” She said.

“I doubt you’ll be able to last more than a minute with McLaggen,” I said. She shrugged. 

We walked out together, both looking and feeling incredible. 

Cormac was waiting near the entrance of the party for Hermione to arrive. His eyes widened when he saw her approach, and I smirked as I whispered a “good luck” and sent her off. 

I waited only a few more minutes for Draco. I was standing, staring down the hall, when I felt arms wrap around my waist. Draco rested his head on my shoulder.

“You look so beautiful, Jules,” he whispered. “I’m all chemically unbalanced now.”

“Oh shut up,” I said, my cheeks turning red. I turned around and looked at him.

“My my my, Monseir Malfoy you know how to dress,” I marveled, looking at the suit he was wearing. He looked insanely attractive, more so than usual.

“Shall we go in?” He asked.

“Lets,” I replied. He smirked and put his arm around me, leading me in. 

The party was in full swing when we walked in. Some Weird Sisters looking wizards were roaming around. Luna DID say there would be vampires...

”Care to dance?” Draco asked. I smirked at him. 

“I thought I’d have to ask,” I said. He smiled and took my hand. A slow dance song came on immediately. I put my arms around his neck and he rested his hands at my waist.

”This is the best Christmas ever,” Draco said. I smiled and stared into his eyes as we swayed back and forth to the music. 

“I remember last year at the Yule Ball I was bored to death,” I said, smiling at the memory. “The guy I went with was an AIRHEAD and he didn’t know how to dance.” 

“Who did you go with?” Draco inquired.

”Oh some Durmstrang boy named Evan,” I said. “Who did you go with?”

”Pansy,” he said, rolling his eyes. I laughed.

”Oh I remember last year she was so CONVINCED that she was your girlfriend. She kept telling me to back off,” I said. He scowled.

”Pansy is annoying and not at all attractive, whereas you-“ he reached his hand out to grab mine and twirled me around, catching me again, “are more beautiful than anyone I’ve ever seen. I’m surprised you don’t have any veela blood in you.” 

“Oh you’re flattering me,” I said, my cheeks red. “I used to think the same about my mother. She was so beautiful, I wondered why she wasn’t a veela. I never really thought I was pretty because I didn’t look like her.” 

“You are beautiful,” Draco repeated. “And you’re smart, you’re brave, you’re selfless, you’re determined....I’m surprised you actually like me. I have nothing to give. I was such a prick last year, I didn’t want people to know I liked you and I was not being fair to you.”

”Draco you do have a lot to give. You’ve changed from how you were in the past and THAT is what matters. You saw you could become a better person and you did,” I said. He grimaced.

”I still don’t feel like a good person. Especially with the task I’m doing...” he mumbled.

I touched his face softly. 

“You didn’t choose that. You didn’t come up with that plan. You are not to blame,” I whispered. “You, Draco Malfoy, are a good person who’s in a very difficult situation. You’re handsome, you’re generous, you’re clever, you’re ambitious. Don’t ever try to tell me you’re not.” 

He leaned down and connected his lips with mine. The song ended and I pulled away, touching his face and staring into his eyes. He smiled. After that some rock music came on. 

Draco and I danced for a long time, having a wonderful time. I think we only took a break to have some punch twice throughout the entire night.

It was about midway through the party when Harry, Luna, and Hermione came up to us.

”Hey guys,” I said with a big smile.

”Please don’t be mad at me,” Hermione said. My expression faltered.

”What did you do?” I asked.

”Well Slughorn was saying he wanted to end the night by having these two singers sing O Holy Night but he says they aren’t coming and we overheard and It just came out!” Hermione said. 

“What came out?” Draco asked slowly.

”That you two can sing!” Hermione said desperately. I saw Draco’s jaw tighten.

”Is he expecting us to sing then?” I asked. 

“Yep. I do think it would be NICE to see you sing,” Luna said dreamily. Harry grinned sheepishly.

”Well we can’t disappoint,” I said. Hermione gave me a sad look.

”Oh I’m not angry with you Hermione,” I said quickly. She looked happier again.

”This is going to be embarrassing,” Draco said. 

“Oh shut up we can both sing,” I said with a scowl. He shrugged. 

Towards the end of the party Slughorn came to find us.

”Are you two ready?” He asked.

”Yes we are,” I said. Draco just nodded.

”Oh come along then!” Slughorn said, leading us to where the band had been. 

”I’m going to kill Potter,” Draco said icily.

”What?” I asked sharply.

”Well I’m not going to kill Granger so I’ll settle for him,” Draco said. I rolled my eyes.

”You’re being so dramatic! It’s going to be fine,” I said. 

Slughorn went up. 

“Sonorus,” He said. “The night is nearly ended, my young people. To finish off this beautiful Christmas Party two of your fellow students have agreed to sing O Holy Night before you. Mr Malfoy and Miss Romano!” 

People began to cheer.

”Sonorus,” I said, pointing at my throat then Draco’s. He stopped me.

”Can you start?” He asked. 

“Of course,” I said. Then he nodded so I could amplify his voice as well. 

We went up. The music began to play. 

[m.youtube.com/watch?v=5i-hbcSfm8U](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5i-hbcSfm8U)

(Celine Dion and Josh Groban’s voices are VERY different from what Jules and Draco would sound like but just bear with me please.)

When we finished everyone clapped loudly. I saw Draco was beaming. 

“You did amazing,” I said, hugging him tightly.

”We did amazing,” he corrected me, cupping my face to kiss me in front of everyone.

Draco then led me out of the party, his arm around me. As we exited, he coughed.

”Oh are you getting sick?” I asked. Then he smirked and gestured up with his eyes. I looked up and saw mistletoe.

”Oh that’s so cliche,” I said, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him. He smiled, clearly pleased. 

“What are you going to do for the holidays?” He asked.

”Go home and read a lot probably. We can’t work on the potion til we get back so there’s no use trying,” I said. 

He walked me back to my Common Room, where we found another mistletoe placed above the door. Draco was enjoying all the kissing and I was starting to think that maybe he’d placed the mistletoe there. 

We went inside and he walked me all the way to my dorm. I was about to open the door when I heard a guy groan.

“What the bloody hell?” Draco asked. I pressed my ear to the door. I heard another moan, this time from a girl. 

“Oh Merlin,” I mumbled. Draco burst out laughing and then I did too. 

“We can go to the Slytherin Common Room if you’d like,” he said with a smirk. I raised an eyebrow.

”I don’t suppose you’ve got something in mind,” I said. He shrugged. 

“I don’t know, Jules, I did tell you I’m very chemically imbalanced-“

”Oh you’re being silly,” I said with a grin. “But let’s go, perhaps you can give me something else to wear because I won’t be going in there for awhile.”

We left and began walking to the Slytherin Common Room, Draco started with his arm around my shoulder and creeping it lower all the way. 

“If you have something to say you really should say it,” I said. He just shrugged and I rolled my eyes.

As soon as we got into his dorm I realized he didn’t share it with anyone at all, he had a room to himself.

”This is quite fancy since when do you get rooms to yourselves?” I asked. Draco shrugged. 

“Slytherin gives their prefects their own rooms, and although I’m not one this year I got to keep the one I had,” he said. I wolf whistled, seeing the luxury he lived in. 

“You can wear this,” he said, tossing me one of his t shirts. “There’s a bathroom through there.” 

“Thanks,” I said, going into the bathroom. I wiped all my makeup off and took my dress off, folding it neatly. Draco’s shirt was rather big on me and was like wearing a second, shorter, more comfortable dress. I didn’t bother asking for shorts or pants. 

I went back into Draco’s room and left the dress on the nightstand, then plopping myself onto the bed. He must’ve been in the walk in closet because the light was on. 

I must’ve dozed off waiting for him because the next thing I knew I was back at Beauxbatons. 

I dreamt I was with my old friend Clarisse setting a net in the ceiling of the Banquet Hall to drop balloons onto the dance floor during the party. For some reason Dobby the elf came and started popping the balloons then Umbridge started dancing below with Cornelius Fudge and next thing I knew I was on the floor in Draco’s room.

”What the hell were you dreaming?” Draco said, clearly having been laughing. 

“Something weird. What time is it?” I asked. 

“Only been half an hour since we came in here,” he said. I climbed back onto the bed and curled up, facing Draco. He smiled and scooted closer, planting a kiss on my forehead. 

“I think you should wear my shirts more often,” he said. “You look cute in them.”

”Might as well have you wear some of my skirts,” I said. He scowled but smiled. 

He scooted even closer so that our faces were inches apart. He stared intently into my eyes.

”What did I do to deserve you?” He asked. Before I could answer he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. He flipped over so I was not laying on top of him. I grabbed his face and continued kissing him. He put his hands on my thighs, squeezing them ever so gently as he started trailing them up. He moved his mouth so that he started kissing my neck. His hands grabbed onto the shirt I was wearing and pushed it up. I pushed him away for a second to help him take it off me. He started unbuttoning his own shirt and I grinned, bending down to kiss his lips and reaching my hands down to help him unbotton it. He sat upright and I wrapped my legs around his hips, taking his shirt off him. He cupped my face in his hands and slipped his tongue into my mouth. My arms wrapped around his head and my fingers started running through his now messy hair. His hands traveled down to my shoulders, caressing my back and resting on my hips. 

There was a knock on the door and we sprang apart. 

“Draco? Are you in there?” I heard Blaise call. 

“Shit shit shit he can’t see you’re in here he’ll never let me live it down,” Draco said, a big frantically but smiling widely. He went to open the door and my hands flew to grab his shirt to cover myself. 

Blaise’s eyes widened when he saw the scene he’d walked into.

”We can talk later,” he said, looking between Draco and I and just smirking and shaking his head. Draco closed the door and flipped the lock. 

“That was bad timing,” he sighed. I yawned and nodded, rubbing my eyes.

”It’s kind of late already, we should sleep,” I said, yawning again and laying down on the bed.

”Definitely, but don’t put the shirt back on,” Draco said, his eyes traveling up and down my body. I rolled my eyes and curled up. 

Draco flicked the light off and came to lay next to me, facing the same way I was. He wrapped his arms protectively around me and rested his head on my shoulder.

”I love you,” he whispered in my ear, kissing it softly. I smiled. 

“I love you too.”


	35. Chapter 35

“Aah George look at this, they’re using knives and everything! Bless them,” Fred said.

“Oh shut it,” I said.

“I’ll be seventeen in two months time!” Ron said. “Then I can do it by magic.”

“Jules when is your birthday?” George asked.

“April. Three months and I’ll be an adult!” I said.

“She already acts like one,” Ron said. I made a face.

“Oh spill the tea Ron,” Fred said, him and George coming closer and leaning on the counter. 

“I haven’t done anything that’s ‘tea’ I beg your pardon-“ 

“She’s sleeping with Malfoy,” Ron said.

Fred and George gaped at me.

“I am NOT!” I hissed. 

“Yeah right don’t tell me you didn’t sleep in his room the night after Slughorn’s party-“

“Nothing happened!”

“You told Hermione something almost happened!”

“But nothing did!” 

“Alright Jules relax,” Fred said. “Now Ron on the other hand...what is this we hear from Ginny about you and a young lady called- unless our information is faulty- Lavender Brown.”

I scoffed then laughed loudly.

“You should SEE them eat each others faces off by Merlin you’d think they were cannibals!” I said. George snorted.

“How did it happen Ronniekins?” Fred asked.

“What do you mean?” Ron asked.

“Did she have an accident or something?” George asked, twirling a fork in the air.

“What?” Ron asked, staring at them like they were mental.

“Well how did she sustain such extensive brain damage?” Fred asked. “Careful now!”

Mum walked in on Ron throwing the knife at Fred, who simply made it a paper airplane.

“Ronald Weasley! Don’t you ever let me see you throwing knives again!” She snapped. 

“I won’t,” Ron said. Then adding under his breath “let you see.”

“Fred, George, I’m sorry dears but Remus is arriving tonight so Bill will have to squeeze in with you two,” Mum said. 

“Not a problem,” George said.

“And Charlie isn’t coming so that leaves Harry and Ron in the attic, and if Fleur shares with Ginny and Jules-“

“That’ll make Ginny’s Christmas,” Fred said, smirking at me.

“Then everyone should be comfortable- er- at least have a bed,” Mum said. 

“Percy definitely not showing his ugly face then?” Fred asked. Mum turned away before saying “No, he’s busy, I expect, at the Ministry.”

“Or the world’s biggest prat,” I mumbled when Mum walked out of the kitchen.

“One of those two,” Fred agreed. “Well let’s get going then George.”

“What are you two up to?” Ron asked. “Can you help us with these sprouts? You could just use your wand and then we’ll be free too!”

“No I don’t think we can do that,” Fred said cheekily. “It’s very character building stuff, learning to peel sprouts without magic. Makes you appreciate how difficult it is for Muggles and Squibs-“

“-and if you want people to help you Ron,” George added, “don’t chuck knives at them. Just a hint.”

“Where are you going?” I asked. 

“We’re off to the village little Jules. There’s a very pretty girl working in the paper shop who thinks my card tricks are something marvelous, almost like real magic,” George said. I laughed as he and Fred left.

“Gits,” Ron said indignantly. “Would’ve taken them ten seconds and then we could’ve gone too.”

“Only you and Jules,” Harry said. “I promised Dumbledore I wouldn’t wander off while I’m staying here.”

“Bummer,” I said grimly.

“Oi Jules can’t you make a concoction that makes the sprouts peel themselves or something?” Ron asked.

“I doubt there’s dragon tears here,” I said. Ron groaned and we continued peeling the sprouts. 

The next day Lavender sent Ron a little gift I don’t think he appreciated.

“She’s got to be kidding ms,” he mumbled when I went to say good morning. Harry hadn’t been awake til then. 

“Huh?” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“It’s from Lavender,” Ron groaned. “She can’t honestly think I’d wear this...”

“Yeah Hermione never would’ve gotten you something that stupid,” I mumbled under my breath, peering closely at it. Harry heard and he snorted, then he and I burst out laughing.

“My sweetheart,” Harry read.

“Oh you’ve GOT to wear that in front of Fred and George,” I said.

“If you tell them,” Ron said angrily. “I-I- I’ll-“

“Stutter at me? I’m afraid Ron. Of course I wouldn’t tell,” I said. 

“How could she think I’d like something like that though?” Ron asked. 

“Well think back,” Harry said. “Have you ever let it slip that you’d like to go out in public with the words ‘My Sweetheart’ round your neck?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous Harry they don’t even talk they just snog,” I said.

“And you and Draco just sleep with each other,” Harry said. I rolled my eyes. Ron poked me.

“What?” I asked.

“Is Hermione really going out with McLaggen?” He asked.

“She might be. I didn’t pay too much attention how they interacted at Slughorn’s party,” I lied. Hermione had already told me she spent the entire time avoiding Cormac.

Mum made me a new sweater with a Ravenclaw crest on the chest. Harry had gotten one with a Golden Snitch on it. Both of us got a large box of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes products from the twins. Hermione had sent me a notebook and Draco a new set of fancy air tight vials since we’d used the other ones up and they’d probably not be reusable. Harry had also received a present from his house elf Kreacher.

I felt the package. 

“To Master from Kreacher. Can’t be anything good,” I said.

“Is it safe to open?” Harry asked.

“Must be since the mail is being searched,” Ron said. 

“I didn’t even think of giving Kreacher anything. Do people give their house elves Christmas presents?” Harry asked.

“Well you gave Dobby socks,” I said.

“Maybe I should get him something, depending what this is,” Harry said.

“Only one way to find out,” I said.

Harry tore at the package. I screamed when several large maggots appeared within. Ron howled with laughter.

“Thoughtful. But disgusting,” I groaned.

“Very very nice,” Ron said.

“I’d rather have that than the necklace,” Harry retorted. Ron shut up.

We went downstairs to find Mum enjoying the new hat and necklace the twins had given her. Ginny had to pick a maggot out of Harry’s hair and he looked so embarrassed I started to wonder if he liked her. 

“Gravy, Fleur?” Ron asked. The gravy boat went flying and Bill calmly put it all back in.

“You’re as bad as zat Tonks,” Fleur said. She is always knocking-“

“I think Tonks is brilliant. We’re all clumsy at times,” I said. “Did you trip on your own shoes the other day Fleur?” 

Mum and Ginny both beamed at me discretely while Fleur shrugged it off. I went to help Mum in the kitchen. As I was washing one of the dishes I peered out the window.

“Is that Percy?” I asked. Mum rushed over to the window and peered out.

“Yes! Arthur it’s Percy!” She cried. ”He’s with the Minister!”

Percy and the new Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, walked in.

“Merry Christmas, Mother,” Percy said stiffly. The twins were right, he was such a prat!

It became evident that Percy had not wanted to pop by and say hello as much as the Minister made it seem to. In fact, he immediately called Harry to go out on a stroll with him.

After that Percy had begun acting like such a prat Ginny, Fred, and George and I accidentally made some of the pudding explode onto his glasses which made him storm out. Mum wasn’t pleased.

Luckily soon it was time to return to Hogwarts. Unfortunately Hermione wasn’t any less mad about the whole Ron and Lavender ordeal. 

“So how was your Christmas, Hermione?” I asked. 

“Oh fine. How was it at Won Won’s?” She asked. 

“Look Hermione can’t you-“ Harry began.

“No I can’t. Don’t even ask,” she said.

“I thought maybe over Christmas-“

“Harry that’s not going to change over a holiday,” I said. He sighed. 

We went into Harry’s room to get away from Ron and Lavender and saw an announcement for Apparition lessons on the door. Hermione and I were quite excited but Harry seemed more relieved.

“I won’t have to Side Along Apparate anymore,” he said.

“Ah true that’s a benefit,” I said.

“What! When have you done that?” Hermione asked me.

“My mum took me along with her loads of times,” I said. Hermione seemed to be quite jealous.

Later Harry told us that Dumbledore had tasked him with getting to know Slughorn to retrieve the true memory of something he told Tom Riddle. 

“You’ll be fine, he adores you,” Hermione said. 

“He must be determined to hide what really happened if Dumbledore couldn’t get it out of him,” I said. “Horcruxes though, I’ve never heard of them.”

“Me neither,” Hermione said.

“You haven’t heard of them?” Harry asked.

“No,” Hermione admitted.

“They must be really advanced Dark magic. Why else would Voldemort have wanted to know about them? I think it’s going to be difficult to get the information. You have to approach Slughorn quite strategically,” I said.

We walked into potions and were told to make an antidote for poison. 

Hermione and I had no difficulty coming up with something, she made a tonic like solution while I created a liquid that was meant to be injected into the bloodstream. 

Draco had a little more trouble producing something but he did nonetheless and I think it was rather good. 

“Oh very nice Miss Granger!” Slughorn marveled as he walked by Hermione. He peered into mine and chuckled.

“Excellent, excellent Miss Romano,” he said. Draco sheepishly handed Slughorn his potion. Slughorn looked impressed.

“Good, Mr Malfoy,” he said with a smile.

Draco turned to me and smirked.

“I did it. And I didn’t think I could do it,” he said. 

“You’re brilliant you just need the confidence!” I said, turning to where Harry and Ron were to see what they’d done.

Ron had clearly given up and a rather nasty odor was protruding from his cauldron. 

I really don’t know if Harry was trying to be funny or not but he simply handed Slughorn a bezoar. I heard Hermione grit her teeth so hard I’m almost certain she chipped a bit off. Even Draco was greatly displeased. I thought it was rather comical and cheeky but it wasn’t what Slughorn had asked to do at all. Regardless Harry received praise and earned Gryffindor some points, so I suppose Hermione can’t complain too much.

I noticed Harry stayed behind to ask Slughorn the question about Horcruxes. 

“That book is downright evil and is making him sail through the class when he really isn’t learning anything!” Hermione snarled as we walked away. Draco huffed.

“Exactly! Potter thinks he’s so grand-“

“I don’t know why he isn’t more careful this is exactly why we ended up in the Department of Mysteries last year,” I said through gritted teeth to Hermione. She scoffed, Draco luckily didn’t hear.

Draco went to do something he didn’t want to reveal in front of Hermione so she and I simply went to the library to find out more about Horcruxes. We didn’t find anything and I’m pretty sure Hermione was angrier about the library failing her thirst for knowledge than she was with Ron. 

“We haven’t found a single explanation of what Horcruxes do!” She spat to Harry. “Not a single one! We’ve been right through the restricted section and even in the most horrible books, where they tell you how to brew some gruesome potions-“

“-that are actually WICKED cool but so bloody dangerous to make and they’re dastardly evil,” I added. Harry smirked and shook his head.

“All we could find was this, in the introduction of Magic Mostc Evile- oh you read it Jules I forgot the translation,” Hermione said. She handed me the book and I read it then translated it.

“‘Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak not give direction’ which is dumb to even include in the book if they don’t plan to discuss it,” I said. Hermione sighed. 

It was soon February and the snow began to melt. Ron was getting more excited for his nearing birthday and rubbing it in because he was a month older then me. 

Apparition lessons began around that time and honestly I really enjoyed them. 

“Good morning. I’m Wilkie Twycross and I shall be teaching you these next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition test in this time, by which time many of you may be ready to take your test,” Twycross said. 

“I doubt I will be able to take the test,” Draco said glumly. “My birthday is in June.”

“You’re younger than me,” I said proudly. He rolled his eyes. 

“You’re only two months older than me! Wait-what day is your birthday?” Draco asked. I faked being offended. 

“April 16. And if I’m not mistaken then you in fact are of June 5th,” I said. Draco smirked. 

“You know me so well,” he said. 

“I expect so,” I said with a grin. “Can’t say the same about you tho-“

“I only forgot the day,” he said with a frown, rolling his eyes. I tiptoes to kiss his cheek and he smirked. 

Twycross began to clap loudly. 

“Step one!” Twycross called. “Fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination. In this case, the interior of tour hoop. Please do so now.”

I stared at the hoop. Visualize the center. 

“Step two,” he continued. “Focus your determination to occupy the visualized space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body.”

Draco stifled a laugh.

“What’s up with you?” I asked.

“That sounded so wrong...yearning to enter it,” Draco said, looking me up and down. I punched his shoulder lightly, rolling my eyes. What nerve! 

“Step three, only when I give the command...turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation. On my command, now-“

I concentrated. I spun on the spot and ended up toppling over onto Draco, who was already on the floor. 

“Yeah that went really bad,” Draco said as he pushed me off him. 

Nobody got it on the first try. Or the second or third or fourth. Some Hufflepuff girl got splinched and this Slytherin girl nearly threw ups seeing the girl’s leg five feet away from her.

Three lessons later only Hermione and I had come close to actually Apparating, although I’d splinched my nose off at one point- Harry and Ron had a laugh saying I looked like Voldemort and I’m thankful Draco wasn’t at that lesson. 

The day before Ron’s birthday, Harry and I met in the library to do homework. 

“I got him some Keeper gloves, what about you?” Harry asked.

“I was tempted to get him some rubbers but I got him a book about a kid that went through hell and back and became the greatest Keeper of all time- I’m not sure if the bloke actually exists,” I said. But Harry was staring at his Marauder’s Map curiously. 

“Oi Jules, do you know where Malfoy is right now?” he asked.

“No idea,” I said. I really didn’t. 

“He’s not on the map at all,” Harry said. I scrambled over to look at the map.

“What the bloody hell? He’s gone!” I said. I knew instantly he was doing something related to his task and Harry must’ve assumed something similar.

“That Malfoy has been doing some evil work I bet,” Harry said scathingly.

“Oh shut up he could’ve gone somewhere now shown on the map- Hogsmeade isn’t on here,” I said.

“And why would he be at Hogsmeade on a Friday?” Harry asked. “There was supposed to be a Hogsmeade day tomorrow- I think it was cancelled though.”

“Maybe that’s exactly why! Harry my birthday is in a month and Draco might actually get me a present this year,” I said.

“Didn’t he last year?” Harry asked.

“Nope that was after Marietta snitched to Umbridge remember? We weren’t speaking,” I said. 

“I’m still not convinced Malfoy isn’t up to something,” Harry said.

“Oh come off it!” I said sharply. 

“Jules he’s GOT to be a Death Eater he wouldn’t tell you!” Harry said.

“Harry I’ve seen him shirtless and I haven’t seen the Mark!” I said. 

This was a lie, I had seen the Mark.

The other day we’d been back in his room and I’d asked him to try on a shirt I’d bought him and he took his shirt off and for the first time I actually saw the Dark Mark on his arm. I’d gasped and he’d quickly covered it. 

Of course I would never tell Harry that. 

On Ron’s birthday I woke up nice and early to go into the Gryffindor Common Room and deliver his present. When I got there I knew instantly something was wrong.

Ron was hugging his pillow, staring dreamily at the ceiling as if he were infatuated with it. 

“Happy birthday Ron...” I said slowly, walking up and handing him the present.

“I dunno what’s wrong with him he keeps saying he can’t stop thinking about Lavender,” Harry said.

“Did they sleep together or what?” I asked. Ron scowled at us.

“I’m not thinking about Lavender. This girl doesn’t know I exist!” Ron said.

“Who the ruddy hell are you talking about?” I asked.

“Romilda Vane!” Ron breathed. Harry and I’s heads snapped to stare at each other in confusion so fast I swear we snapped our spinal cords.

“This is a joke, Ron,” I said. 

“I think I love her!” Ron said. 

“Say that again with a straight face,” Harry demanded.

“I love her,” Ron repeated in all seriousness. I peered and saw the box he was holding was for Chocolate Cauldrons.

”Oh Harry he’s gone and eaten those stupid candies that Vane girl gave you!” I said. 

“Let’s take him to Slughorn,” Harry whispered. I nodded.

“You know what Ron? I’ll introduce you to her. She has an extra Potions lesson with Slughorn now,” I said.

“Maybe I could ask if I can have them with her?” Ron asked eagerly.

“Great idea,” Harry said. We both began to lead Ron out but ran into Lavender.

“Won-Won! I’ve got you a birthday-“ she began saying. 

“Leave me alone,” Ron said. “Harry and Jules are going to introduce me to Romilda Vane.”

“Love potion,” I said quickly to Lavender as she gaped at Ron. As much as I refused to like her, I would not let a fellow girl be heartbroken over something false.

We got to Slughorn’s office. Harry rapped on the door. 

Slughorn came out in pijamas. 

“Harry...Miss Romano...it’s so early,” Slughorn said, yawning. “I generally sleep late on a Saturday.”

“Sorry to disturb you but Ron’s taken a Love Potion by mistake. We need to make an antidote,” I said.

“Ah yes yes come in,” Slughorn said. 

Harry and Slughorn entertained Ron while I whipped up the antidote. Soon Ron was perfectly fine. 

“Excellent, Miss Romano. I believe Me Weasley needs a pick me up. I’ve got butterbeer, wine, one last bottle of this oak matured mead- hmm I meant to give that to Dumbledore for Christmas but ah he can’t miss what he never had!” Slughorn said. He grabbed the bottle. “Why don’t we open it now to celebrate Mr Weasley’s birthday?”

He popped it open and gave us all cups of mead. 

Ron grabbed it immediately and chugged it down. I waved in front of my nose.

“Happy birthday Ron-“

“This has been poisoned,” I blurted out.

“What?” Slughorn asked.

“This had traces of poison- oh no, RON!” I cried. Ron suddenly collapsed on the floor and started seizing, foam dripping from his mouth. 

“RON!” I screamed, rushing over to open his mouth.

“Professor do something!” Harry bellowed. Slughorn didn’t even move. Harry ran over and rummaged in the shelves.

“Harry get me some of the butterbeer and the antidote-“ I began. But Harry had returned and promptly grabbed Ron’s mouth and shoved a bezoar down his throat. Ron stopped seizing and became still, breathing steadily.


	36. Chapter 36

“How exactly did it happen?” 

Harry and I retold the story. 

“Blimey it was lucky you thought of a bezoar,” George said quietly.

“Lucky there was one there,” Harry said. I sighed. The bezoar indeed saved Ron’s life.

Hermione had been sitting there awhile, silent and staring. Lavender had not arrived. 

“Er my nee,” Ron croaked. 

Nobody seemed to have understood what he said but I knew damn well he’s just called for Hermione. 

“Someone could have a grudge against the Gryffindor Quidditch team,” Hagrid said. “First Katie now Ron.”

“I doubt it,” I said. Hermione nodded.

“The attacks are connected,” she said. “They both ought to have been fatal and weren’t of of pure luck. And for another, neither the poison nor the necklace seems to have reached the person who was supposed to be killed. This of course makes the person behind this more dangerous in a way because they don’t seem to care how many people they finish off before they actually reach their victim.”

I felt my heart skip a beat.

There was no doubt Draco had been behind this. The necklace and mead were both mysteriously meant for Dumbledore somehow and Draco hadn’t been around as much before both incidents occurred. I felt my stomach twisting into knots. This had to stop soon. 

Mum and Dad came in a bit later after speaking to Dumbledore.

“Oh Harry what can we say? You saved Ginny, Arthur, and now Ron,” Mum said, sobbing. 

“Don’t be, I didn’t-“ Harry mumbled.

“Half our family owes you their lives now that I stop and think about it,” Mum said. “Well all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express.” 

That made me even prouder of Harry of course but also sad. Voldemort had essentially been behind everything bad that had occurred to the Weasleys. I don’t know what I’d do if any one of them died...

Later that day when Ron had stabilized his condition, I went straight to the Alchemy classroom where I knew Draco would be, adding the diluted Tungsten and Potassium in the nitrogenous chamber we’d built the other day. 

Sure enough he was there and Gibbons was not. 

“Do you want to know who go poisoned by the mead?” I asked icily. His eyes widened.

“Well Ronald Weasley, also known as a close friend of mine, was poisoned!” I said, starting to feel angry. “On his birthday, Draco!” 

“Weasley wasn’t the target and you know that!” Draco spat.

I just shook angrily, going to where he was and finishing adding the Tungsten. 

“You don’t have to be so rough with the materials Jules-“

“It’s my chamber I can do whatever I want it won’t mess up the experiment,” I snapped. 

“Why are you so angry?” Draco asked sharply.

“Because of everything! Don’t you think I want to be able to get you through this emotionally? I do! Because- because I love you! But it’s so DIFFICULT because my friends keep getting hurt in the process and I don’t know if someone’s life has EVER been in your hands but it isn’t pleasant!” I snarled. Draco stared at the floor and moved away to sit in one of the desks.

“I’m not going to make excuses. I did something wrong. It went wrong. I screwed up again and almost killed another one of your friends. I’m sorry. Don’t accept my apology if you don’t want to but I am actually sorry. I don’t like this task, in case you didn’t know,” Draco said. I just scowled and shut the chamber tightly. The only thing left to do was to test the potion. It was essentially ready.

”Do me a favor and go practice killing a rat or something,” I said coldly. Draco was taken aback.

”Excuse me? What the bloody hell are you insinuating? I’m not TRYING to be a murderer-“

”Draco we can’t test this potion on a living creature,” I snarled.

”Can you cut the attitude out?” Draco asked. “Snape said you’re supposed to be helping me cope and you’re only making me feel guilty about something I can’t control.” 

“Just go kill something or find something that’s dead!” I snapped. Draco cursed a string of words under his breath and left the room. When he shut the door I just dropped to the floor and angrily started pounding on it. 

I didn’t know how else to help him. I’d supported him by not telling anyone. I’d stood by his side, got him through difficult times. Did he expect me not to be angry when my friends got hurt? I may have been harsh but I wasn’t going to be all giddy when Ron was in a hospital bed. 

Draco came back with two dead mice. 

“Here are your specimens,” he said, tossing them on the tray. Then he seemed to have notice I was on the floor. 

“What happened?” He asked. I looked at my hands and noticed my knuckles were bleeding. He rushed over.

”What the hell did you do to yourself?” He asked, waving his wand to make the blood seep back in.

”I got mad,” I said flatly. He rolled his eyes.

”Let’s not discuss that topic then. Why don’t we resurrect some rats?” Draco asked. I shrugged and got up. 

“Shouldn’t we get Gibbons and Snape in here to see?” I asked.

”If it works then sure,” Draco said.

I placed the liquid into a small pipette. I took one of the rats. 

“How long has this one been dead?” I asked. 

“A few minutes,” Draco said. I placed the pipette into the rat’s mouth, squeezing out a few drops. 

The rat did not stir.

”Maybe it takes a few minutes to kick in,” Draco said.

”Do you reckon it matters how much we give them?” I asked.

”I calculated that. Three drops should be sufficient for anyone that has been dead for any amount of time,” Draco said. 

We stared at the rat again. It still wasn’t moving. I examined the liquid.

”The combination must be right, maybe it’s the speed. I think if we added some hydrochloric acid it might speed the reaction up-“ I was saying. And then I screamed. 

The rat was now running around the table. Draco started laughing and cheering and I jumped back so far that he had to catch me to stop me from falling to the floor. 

“That took 5 minutes!” Draco said excitedly.

”I bet we can get it even faster,” I said, running to Gibbons’ storange cabinet and grabbing some of the hydrochloric acid. I slipped it into out potion. I pipetted the new solution into the other dead rat’s mouth. 

Within seconds it sprang up and began running around the counter with the other rat.

“WE DID IT!” Draco cried, lifting me up and spinning me around, lowering me to plant a huge kiss on my lips. He let me down and smiled again. 

“We should tell Gibbons and Snape now,” he said, hugging me tight to his chest.

We ran over to the Potions classroom where we knew Snape and Gibbons would be. When we entered Draco basically shoved the rats in their faces.

”Mr Malfoy what are you doing?” Snape asked irritably. 

“They were dead. And now they’re alive. It works,” Draco said. Gibbons’ eyes widened.

”Does it really?” He asked.

”Yes. Within seconds because we added hydrochloric acid,” I said. Snape and Gibbons came and took the vial from my hand.

”This is outstanding,” Gibbons said excitedly. “When are we going to alert the Prophet?” 

“I don’t know if we should,” I mumbled. Everyone stared at me.

”I just don’t think it’s the right thing,” I said. “People would abuse the substance. No one would ever die. It’s a breakthrough yes but is it really the right thing to allow the public to use it? If anything I’d only want murder victims to be allowed to be returned because they died unjustly,” I said. Snape nodded.

”That is good reasoning, Miss Romano. I do however know that you can win quite an award for this discovery,” he said.

”I don’t care about the award,” I said. 

“But Miss Romano this is making history! You don’t have to reveal the recipe everyone simply needs to know it exists. You can set up your own restrictions should you chose to put it to market,” Gibbons said. 

I winced. 

“Alright. Let’s owl the Prophet,” I said. 

* * *

**MASTERS OF DEATH?**

_By: Charisse Cleaver_

_We have received word of probably the greatest magical achievement since Albus Dumbledore discovered the 12 uses of dragon blood._

_Hogwarts sixth year students Juliana Romano and Draco Malfoy have created a potion that can bring the dead back to life._

_They claim to have gotten the inspiration from the book How to Save a Life by Annika Brockwhurst. After six long months of experimentation and process with perfecting the methods revealed in the novel, these two young wizards have accomplished a feat far greater than many wizards even older than them have even dared to attempt._

_These two brilliant young adults have chosen to not reveal the final method utilized to the press because they do not wish for the population to abuse it. They have set a restriction- that it only be used to bring back anyone who was murdered._

_The Ministry of Magic plans to award both students with the Swanson Avery award. This should inspire other young children into believing they can do anything- even with a subject as difficult as Alchemy._

“Oh you’re so lucky!” Hermione moaned when she read the article. I blushed.

“Malfoy doesn’t deserve the award,” Harry said. “You did all the work.”

“Can you shut up Harry? You have a match and I’d hate for you to not make it to the Quidditch pitch because you’ve somehow grown antlers and frog legs,” I said. He smirked and got up to leave.

“Is Draco sitting with us today?” Hermione asked.

“Nope he’s got detention,” I said with a sigh. He didn’t really, in actuality he’d had some sort of meeting with Professor Snape. 

Hermione and I walked out only to learn that it was cold and windy, which meant our signs would be inevitably swatted onto someone’s face or head. We decided not to hold them up until Gryffindor started scoring. 

I didn’t know who was going to do the commentary with Smith playing but right after the game began I realized who it was when a dreamy voice rang into the air. 

“And that’s Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle,” Luna said. “He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him- I think probably on purpose because it looked like it. Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now that he’s playing them. Oh look, he’s lost the Quaffle, Ginny took it from him, I do like her she’s very nice...”

“Who in their right mind appointed her?” Hermione asked with an annoyed tone.

“Oh hush she’s a good person,” I said snappishly. Hermione was starting to really get on my nerves with always being a right prick to Luna- I knew for a fact Luna admired Hermione quite a lot despite her continuous snide comments in her presence. 

“...but now that big Hufflepuff player’s got the Quaffle from her. I can’t remember his name,” Luna said, taking a moment to think. McGonagall irritably leaned forward into the microphone and said “It’s Cadwallader.” 

McLaggen had started yelling at Ginny for something and Cadwallader promptly scored. 

“Oh I do despise him!” Hermione said.

“You chose to date him that day, not me,” I reminded her. She rolled her eyes.

“MCLAGGEN! Will you pay attention to what you’re supposed to be doing and leave everyone else alone?” Harry bellowed.

“Yeah! Screw you McLaggen!” I yelled loudly. I saw Harry smirk and Hermione hid her face in her hands as McLaggen looked over with a sneer. 

“You’re not setting a great example!” He shouted back at Harry. I noticed he was red in the face- he was embarrassed. 

“And Harry Potter’s not having an argument with his Keeper,” Luna noticed. “I don’t think that’ll help him find the Snitch but maybe it’s a clever ruse...”

I laughed genuinely, but Hermione groaned. 

Harry began to fly around the pitch, observing. Ginny scored a goal, then Demelza. That Cadwallader boy scored again to tie up the game but Luna wasn’t even commenting about that, she’d begun talking about the clouds and the possibility that Zacaharias Smith (who had so far failed to possess the Quaffle for more than a minute at a time) was suffering from ‘Loser’s Lurgy.’

“Seventy-forty to Hufflepuff!” McGonagall said stiffly into the megaphone. Hermione groaned again, Luna looking surprised.

“Is it already? Oh look! The Gryffindor Keeper’s got hold of one the Beater’s bats,” she said. 

“Oh Merlin,” I hissed. Hermione gasped. 

McLaggen had pulled the bat away from one of the Beaters and appeared to be demonstrating how to hit a Bludger. 

Harry flew over.

“Oh I hope Harry puts him in his place!” I said. 

“WILL YOU GIVE HIM BACK HIS BAT AND GET BACK TO THE GOAL POSTS!” Harry roared. Then I screamed, because in an attempt to hit a Bludger at Cadwallader, hit Harry with it hard in the head. 

Harry fell off his broom and the Beaters flew to catch him before he fell, McLaggen gasping and dropping the bat to seize Harry’s broom. 

“I’m going to murder him!” I snarled, getting up.

“No Jules don’t!” Hermione said. I tried to leave the stands and go to where McLaggen was but she pulled me back.

“After the match then Hermione you can’t hold me here forever,” I said through gritted teeth. “In fact I’ll pretend to test whether my potion works on him after I kill him but accidentally have it be a placebo or something and just forget to bring him back.” 

The match ended with Hufflepuff winning 320-60. Harry would not be pleased when he woke up. 

The instant mostly everyone started to leave, I went up to McLaggen.

“Oh hey Jules what’s up?” He asked, smoothing his hair back. 

“I want to talk to you,” I said, giggling and batting my eyelashes. “Come with me.”

McLaggen was stupid enough to believe me. I led him behind the stands. I whipped my wand out and shoved it under his throat. His hands immediately went up in surrender.

“I don’t like you,” I said coldly. “And now I like you even less for thinking you’re so amazing you can command someone else’s team. In fact, their loss was your fault because you suck so much at being a Keeper. I can’t believe you even thought it was funny to complain that Ron made it on instead of you, you’re absolute garbage!” 

McLaggen gulped. I took my wand away from his throat and calmly put it in my robes.

“I can do whatever I want-“ he began to say the instant I put it in my pocket. I punched him so fast he didn’t even have time to react and shield himself, he simply flew back onto the ground.

“That’s for Harry,” I said as I turned and marched back to the castle, leaving a howling McLaggen behind. 

That night Draco still had not returned and since Harry and Ron had not been awake when I’d gone to visit I decided to try that night.

Sure enough they were awake and Dobby and Kreacher were there with them.

“What is going on here?” I asked. Harry grinned sheepishly. 

“Uh-“

“Kreacher will do whatever Master wants,” Keeacher was saying. “Because Kreacher has no choice, but Kreacher is ashamed to have such a master, yes-“

“Dobby will do it, Harry Potter!” Dobby said excitedly. “Dobby would be honored to help Harry Potter!”

“Help with what?” I asked coldly.

Harry hesitated.

“Help tail Draco Malfoy,” he admitted.

I made a sound that sounded almost like a growl and hiss put together.

“What the bloody hell FOR? You’ve got no reason to!” I snarled. 

“Yes I do! I know he’s up to something!” Harry snapped, turning to the elves. “I want to know where he’s going, who he’s meeting, and what he’s doing. I want you to follow him around the clock.”

“This is ridiculous!” I hissed.

“Jules you SAW he disappeared from the Marauders Map and he clearly hasn’t told you anything and I need to know!” Harry said angrily. I just scoffed and sat down on Ron’s bed.

“Yes Harry Potter!” Dobby agreed. “And if Dobby does it wrong, Dobby will throw himself off the topmost tower, Harry Potter!” 

“There won’t be any need for that,” Harry said. I huffed and crossed my arms.

“Master wants me to follow the youngest of the Malfoys? Master wants me to spy upon the Pureblood great nephew of my old mistress?” Kreacher asked.

“Kreacher agrees with me Harry, this is stupid!” I snapped. Kreacher eyed me curiously.

“The blood traitor agrees with Kreacher? Kreacher is surprised,” he said nastily.

“For your information, this blood traitor is named Jules and she is also Draco Malfoy’s girlfriend,” I said. Kreacher bowed.

“Whatever,” Harry said, eyeing me a bit angrily. “And you’re forbidden to tip him off, Kreacher. Or show him what you’re up to or talk to him at all or write messages. You can’t contact him in any way- Got it?” 

Kreacher seemed to be attempting to find a loophole to what Harry’s instructions had been. He clearly did not succeed, because he bowed to Harry again.

“Master thinks of everything, and Kreacher must obey him even though Kreacher would much rather be the servant of the Malfoy boy, oh yes...” Kreacher said scathingly. I glared angrily at Harry. 

“That’s settled then. I’ll want regular reports, but make sure I’m not surrounded by people when you turn up. Ron, Hermione, and Jules are ok. And don’t tell anyone what you’re doing. Just stick to Malfoy like a couple of wart plasters,” Harry said. 

There was a crack and the elves disappeared. 

“How could you do that!” I snapped. 

“I don’t trust him Jules and you shouldn’t either! I know he’s your boyfriend and all but I’m certain he had something to do with Katie Bell and Ron’s near death experiences!” Harry said. I just growled and turned to leave. 

“Hey Jules I didn’t do anything wrong!” Ron said. I turned back and smiled sweetly at him.

“Good night, Ron. I hope you’re feeling much better,” I said. Then I turned to Harry. 

“I broke McLaggen’s nose for you, you know. I just wish you could repay me by listening to me when I say not to do something,” I said. Harry opened his mouth to speak but I just left the room. 

I had to be angry of course. Even if I didn’t know what Draco was really doing, it wasn’t right for Harry to be spying on him. 

Even so it was getting to a point where I just wanfsd to tell Harry he was right, that yes Draco had something to do with bot incidents and was doing something very bad in the school. I did want to, it was the right thing to do because it could save a life. 

But I couldn’t. I had made a promise to Dumbledore himself. I had to support Draco through this so he wouldn’t end up dead, just another victim of Voldemort. And to support him I had to lie, I had to keep his activities and predicaments a secret. 

Whatever he was doing when he kept disappearing, I didn’t expect to be told. I knew I would have to find out eventually, someway or another. What worried me was that Draco was going through this process alone and needed support. I felt angry at myself for not being selfless enough to offer help, but also proud for not succumbing to Death Eater ideals. 

Whatever he was planning, I would not help him because that would be like helping the people who killed my parents.


	37. Chapter 37

“You look beautiful today, Jules.”

“Shut up I look like a bloody goblin,” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. I’d fallen asleep on Draco’s lap again in the Slytherin Common Room after staying up late revising one of Hermione’s essays for Runes. I was doing excellent in the class but she still confused a lot of the sounds so she kept having me look over her essays to make sure she wasn’t writing something else. For example the other day she’d written that “ikuhms are cannibals” but it was the “illikuhms” in reality. An easy mistake to make, but it made her feel stupid. 

“You look beautiful,” Draco repeated.

I looked at him and smiled.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“Right about 6am. Classes don’t start til later, what do you want to do?” He asked.

“Probably sleep more I’m bloody exhau-“

Draco picked me up and started carrying me to his room. 

“I’ll just fall asleep here then,” I mumbled, curling up in his arms. 

When we got into his room I noticed he locked the door. I wasn’t really in the mood for anything right now.

He put me on the bed gently and smirked, coming onto me and kissing my lips.

“I’m tired,” I whined, although my body denied it and started kissing him back. He wrapped his arms around me, pressing his body closely onto mine. My sleep faded away. He moved his hands down and slipped my shirt off. My hands traveled to rest on his chest, where I felt his heart thumping strongly. He slipped his own shirt off then started kissing my neck, my hands going to hug his head and run my fingers through his hair. His hands reached down and grabbed at the pants I was wearing, touching my stomach and making me shiver. He looked at me and smirked, crashing his lips onto mine again as he pulled my pants off my legs. I reached my hands down and started to unbuckle his belt, moving them to rest on his hips for a moment then pulling his pants down. I heard a noise and opened my eyes.

I almost screamed but I didn’t want Draco to turn. 

Kreacher and Dobby were standing in the room, wide eyed. I waved my hand to shoo them away and with another crack they disappeared. Draco still hadn’t noticed. I started feeling uncomfortable so I gently pushed him off me.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, looking down at my body. I blushed what I’m sure was a nice shade of burgundy. 

“Just not right now, please? I-I’m really tired,” I said. He shrugged. 

“Sure if you want. I don’t want to pressure you,” he said.

“Thanks,” I said, smiling. He laid down next to me and curled up, wrapping his arms around me.

By lunch that day Harry and Ron had been released. Hermione decided then to reveal that Ginny and Dean had a fight.

“What did they argue about?” Harry asked.

“Dean laughed when McLaggen hit that Bludger at you,” I said.

“It must’ve looked funny,” Ron said. 

“It didn’t!” Hermione said fiercely. “It looked terrible. If Coote and Peakes hadn’t caught Harry I don’t know what would have happened.”

“Well at least Jules punched McLaggen,” Ron said. Harry was thinking about something.

“Are Ginny and Dean still together? Because that’s no reason to split up-“

“They’re still together yes,” I said, raising an eyebrow at Hermione.

“Why are you so interested?” Hermione asked curiously.

“I just don’t want my Quidditch team messed up again!” Harry said.

“Harry!” A voice called behind. Luna walked up and handed him a scroll for Dumbledore’s next lesson.

“Nice commentary last match!” Ron told her. She looked at him blankly.

“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you? Everyone says I was dreadful,” Luna said. 

“No I’m serious! I can’t remember enjoying a commentary more,” Ron said earnestly. Luna beamed and left. Ron chuckled.

“You know, she’s grown on me, Luna. I know she’s insane but it’s in a good-“ Ron began saying. I noticed Lavender was at the foot of the grand staircase, staring and waiting.

“Let’s leave,” I suggested, grabbing Harry and Hermione. I heard Lavender begin to argue with Ron about not telling her he’d been released and questioning why he was with Hermione. 

I can honestly say that Hermione’s mood had improved greatly. Now she’d finally allowed me to help Harry with his essays- previously she’d said neither of us could help Harry because he’d just let Ron copy the homework. 

The new problem was how Harry was going to get Slughorn to give up his memory. He kept looking through that Prince’s Potions book. 

“You won’t find anything in there,” Hermione stated. 

“Don’t start, Hermione,” Harry said irritably. “If it wasn’t for the Prince, Ron wouldn’t be sitting here now.”

“Well could have learned about bezoars another way. Besides I HAD an antidote in mind I just needed you to pass me the ingredients,” I said. Harry rolled his eyes. 

Harry was also quite sour that he could not attend extra Apparition lessons. Hermione and I had already Apparated twice, and Harry once. We had to turn 17 before April 21st to qualify- and he was a July baby. 

Luckily seeing as tomorrow would be my birthday, I’d have no trouble with it. 

“At least you can Apparate though,” Ron said glumly.

“Oh you’ll be fine,” I said. Hermione stared nastily at Harry again, who was still reading the potions book.

“I’m telling you, the stupid Prince isn’t going to be able to help you with this!” She said. “There’s only one way to force someone to do what you want, and that’s the Imperius Curse which I remind you, is illegal-“

“Yeah I know that thanks. That’s why I’m looking here. Dumbledore says Veritaserum won’t do it, but there might be something else, a potion or a spell...” Harry said.

“You’re going about it the wrong way,” I said. “There isn’t any other potion or spell. Only you can get the memory, Dumbledore says. That must mean YOU can persuade Slughorn where other people can’t.” 

“How do you spell ‘belligerent’?” Ron interrupted. 

“B-E-Double L-I-G-E-R-E-N-T,” I said.

“Ok,” Ron stated, breathing in heavily. “Because I knew it couldn’t be B-U-M-“

“B-U-M?” Hermione asked, grabbing his essay. “That’s wrong. And ‘augury’ doesn’t begin with O-R-G either. What kind of quill are you using?” 

“One of Fred and George’s Spell Check ones, but I think the charm must be wearing off,” Ron said. I peered at his essay and smirked, raising my eyebrow.

“It must be because we deal with dementors not ‘Dog-bogs.’ Also I wasn’t aware you changed your name to Roonil Wazlib,” I said. Ron groaned. 

“Don’t say I’ll have to rewrite the whole thing!” He moaned. 

“We can fix it,” Hermione said. She waved her wand and began to fix his essay.

“I love you, Hermione,” Ron said, rubbing his eyes wearily. I flashed her a look, noticing she’d turned a rather strange shade of pink. 

“Don’t let Lavender hear you say that,” Hermione said quickly.

“I hope she does so she can ditch me,” Ron said, putting his face into his hands. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

“Why don’t you ditch her if you want to finish it?” Harry asked.

“None of you have ever chucked anyone have you? You and Cho just-“

“-fell apart,” Harry said.

“I chucked Draco for awhile last year after the Marietta thing. It was easy, though I don’t know if it was because I was so angry or I just wasn’t as infatuated with him then as I am now,” I said. 

“Wish Lavender and I could fall apart,” Ron said. “But the more I hint I want to finish it, the tighter she holds on. It’s like going out with a giant squid.”

“Just tell her straight up, stop dropping hints,” I said a bit irritably. “She won’t let you leave her if you give her a choice.”

“There,” Hermione said, handing him back the corrected essay.

“Thanks a million,” Ron said. Hermione blushed again. “Can I borrow your quill for the conclusion?” 

I leaned back onto the couch. I don’t know what Draco was doing tonight, he’d missed classes today. Reckon he’s actually sick since he kept coughing and sneezing yesterday but something tells me he was working on whatever his little project was. 

There was a crack and Dobby and Kreacher appeared. I immediately felt embarrassed. 

“What’s going on?” Hermione asked, alarmed.

“Harry’s had them tail Draco for the past week or so,” I said angrily. 

“Master Malfoy moves with the nobility that benefits his pure blood,” Kreacher said. “His features recall the fine bones of my mistress.” 

“Kreacher is in love with Malfoy,” Ron said. “I thought that was Jules’ job.”

I felt myself blushing even redder. Hermione noticed and glanced at me suspiciously.

“Dobby, you tell me,” Harry said, “Has he been going anywhere he shouldn’t have?”

Dobby looked at me and Harry and Ron’s mouths both dropped open.

“We don’t need to know whatever he does with Jules,” Harry said quickly. Dobby looked away. I wanted to sink into the ground. 

“Harry Potter sir,” Dobby said, “the Malfoy boy is breaking no rules but he is still keen to avoid detection. He has been making regular visits to the seventh floor with a variety of other students but not Miss Jules,” Dobby said, smiling at me. I smiled back. “The others keep watch for him.”

“The Room of Requirement!” Harry said. “That’s where he’s been sneaking off to! That’s why he didn’t appear on the map- I’ve never even seen the Room of Requirement on there!”

Harry turned to me.

“You were telling the truth about not knowing. I’m sorry,” he said. I shrugged. 

“Whatever,” I said. 

“Have you managed to get a look at what he’s doing?” Ron asked. 

“No Ron Weasley,” Dobby said solemnly. “That’s impossible.”

“No it’s not,” Harry said. “Malfoy got into our headquarters last year, so I’ll be able to get in and spy on him, no problem.”

“But I don’t think you will,” Hermione said slowly. “Last year he knew how you were using the room. He needed it to adapt to the DA setting so it did. You don’t know what the room is like when he’s there.”

“I’ll find a way around that,” Harry said. “Good job Dobby.”

“Kreacher’s done well too,” Hermione said kindly. Kreacher stared at her. “The Mudblood is speaking to Kreacher, Kreacher will pretend he can’t hear-“

“Oh stop it,” I said. Then Dobby and Kreacher both vanished. 

“Well now we know where Malfoy’s going! We’ve got him cornered!” Harry said. He looked at me imploringly.

“I’m not going to go with him,” I said coldly. “If he hasn’t told me to go then he never will. I don’t even know what he’s doing in there.”

“Well it was a worth a try,” Harry said. He checked the Marauders map. 

“He’s gone from the map! I’m going to see if I can get in,” Harry said. He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and left. I groaned. Draco better be careful because if Harry caught him he’s kill him. 

The next day in Potions Harry arrived late, and Draco hadn’t come yet. I was worried Harry had murdered him but I decided to dismiss that thought.

“Before we start I want your dementor essays,” Snape said. I handed mine in and he smiled, looking over it. 

“Good job Miss Romano, this looks quite interesting,” he said. I noticed Seamus Finnigan was raising his hand and pointed at him for Snape to turn.

“What is it Mr Finnigan?” Snape asked.

“Sir, I’ve been wondering, how dontou tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost?” Seamus asked. “There was something in the paper about an Inferius-“

“No there wasn’t,” Snape drawled. 

“But sir I heard people talking,” Seamus said.

“If you actually read the article in question, you would know that the so called Inferius was nothing but a smelly sneak thief called Mundungus Fletcher,” Snape said.

“I thought they were on the same side?” Harry asked. “Shouldn’t he be upset he was arrested?”

“Well we surely aren’t upset and we’re on his side too,” I said. Snape turned sharply to us.

“Potter seems to have a lot to say on this subject. Could you tell us the difference between an Inferius and a ghost?” Snape asked. Harry stammered. “Ghosts are transparent.” Snape raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh very good,” he said sarcastically. “Yes it is easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. Ghosts are transparent.”

Pansy Parkinson giggled loudly. 

“Yeah ghosts are transparent but Inferi are dead bodies aren’t they?” Harry asked. “So they’d be solid-“

“A five year old could have told us as much,” Snape sneered. He rolled his eyes. “The Inferius is a corpse that has been reanimated by a Dark Wizard’s spell. It is not alive, it is merely used like a puppet to do that wizard’s bidding. Ghosts are an imprint of a departed soul left upon earth, and of course, as Potter so wisely tells us, transparent.”

“Well what Harry said is the most useful to tell them apart, Professor,” I said. Snape eyed me coldly. “I know it was incorrect in the sense of definition but we wouldn’t use that to tell them apart. We wouldn’t ask them, ‘Hey are you the imprint of a departed soul’?” 

Snape looked like he wanted to kick me out of his class.

“Of all students I wouldn’t expect cheek from you, Miss Romano,” he said. “You of all people should know, are you not the one resurrecting the dead?” 

I just looked down. 

“Turn to page 213 and read about the Cruciatus Curse,” Snape demanded.

* * *

“Wow, you’re actually going with Dumbledore...and try and destroy...wow,” Ron mumbled.

“Ron you’re making it snow,” Hermione noted. 

“You’re so lucky Harry,” I said, wiping the snow from my hair. Ron brushed some snow off Hermione’s shoulder. Lavender Brown burst into tears and ran away. 

“We split up last night,” Ron said. “When she saw me coming out of the dormitory with Hermione. Jules was still inside and she couldn’t see you, so she thought it had just been the two of us.”

“Good riddance. You’re not sad are you?” I asked. 

“No. It was bad when she was yelling but at least I didn’t have to finish it,” Ron said.

“Coward,” Hermione hissed. But she looked quite amused. 

“Bad night for romance,” I mumbled. “Ginny and Dean split up too. Draco didn’t pop up last night either.”

“Wait why did they split up?” Harry asked.

“Something stupid. She said he was always trying to help her through the portrait hole, like she couldn’t climb in herself...but they’ve been a bit rocky for ages,” I said. Harry actually looked happy.

“Of course this puts you in a bit of a dilemma, doesn’t it?” Hermione said.

“What?” Harry asked a little too quickly.

“Quidditch. If they aren’t speaking-“

”Oh yeah,” Harry mumbled. I looked at Hermione and rolled my eyes. Then Harry’s eyes widened.

“Oh man Jules happy birthday,” he said quickly, digging into his pocket and taking out a little vial with a pinkish green liquid.

“You got me essence of Aces! That’s such a rare ingredient oh thank you!” I said, hugging him and taking the vial. Hermione handed me a Muggle book called “That Was Then, This is Now” by SE Hinton. I knew instantly I would love it, although it might be hard to understand that Muggle culture. It was different. 

Ron gave me a cake Mum had sent over. He’d then handed me a set of test tubes. 

“You guys are amazing!” I said, pulling them into a group hug. 

I looked back to the Slytherin table. Draco still wasn’t there. 

Katie Bell arrived later and everyone jumped to question her, although she didn’t remember anything.

Harry knudged me.

“Look, Malfoy is in the bathroom with Myrtle,” Harry said. My eyes widened and I got up. We both ran to the bathroom. 

“Why would he be with Myrtle?” I asked, slightly hurt that he was spending time with someone else on my birthday.

We entered quietly. I saw Draco standing over the sink, looking distressed. 

“Don’t...” Myrtle said softly. “Tell me what’s wrong, I can help you...”

“No one can help me!” Draco croaked. He started shaking. “I can’t do it...I can’t....It won’t work...he says he’ll kill me if I don’t do it soon...”

“I thought Jules was supposed to help you!” Myrtle said.

“She is, she was supposed to...but I can’t bring myself to reveal what I’m really doing...she doesn’t know much...I’ve seen how sad she gets...thanks to me her friends keep getting hurt...if I tell her then I’ll have to see her sad again... I don’t want to hurt her, don’t want to burden her...I feel horrible today’s her birthday but I’ve been so busy with this task I didn’t get her anything....I love her so much and she’s done so much to support me through this but I’m still not good enough, I don’t want him to kill her...”

I felt tears running down my face. 

Suddenly Draco looked up and saw us. His eyes widened and Harry lunged.

“NO HARRY NO!” I screamed, trying to pull him back. 

“Cruc-“ Draco began.

“SECTUMSEMPRA!” Harry cried.

I screamed and ran forward to catch Draco. It was like a sword had cut his chest and abdomen open.

“No...no...” Harry mumbled. I groped at Draco’s throat. His pulse was fading.

“HARRY WHAT DID YOU DO?!” I screamed. Myrtle began yelling and I cradled Draco in my arms, taking my robes off to try and stop the blood. I heard a gasp. I felt for his pulse again.

“Is he...?” Harry asked. I burst into tears and hugged Draco.

“You killed him,” I whispered. Then my eyes widened. I reached into my pocket and brought out the potion. I poured it into Draco’s mouth. He gasped and his eyes snapped open. He groaned in pain. Then he closed his eyes, losing consciousness.

I sobbed loudly. If we hadn’t succeeded at making that potion...

“I swear Harry I will never forgive you this. You’re lucky I’m not going to tell anyone you actually killed him,” I snarled. Harry looked taken aback. Then Snape came into the bathroom. He stared worriedly at Draco and contemptuously at Harry. 

“Vulnera Sanentur,” Snape said fiercely. I nodded. 

“Vulnera Sanentur,” I started saying, closing Draco’s wounds. 

“Take him to the Hospital Wing,” Snape said, grabbing Harry and hauling him away. I grabbed Draco and lifted him, wrapping my arms around him.

“You’re going to be ok,” I mumbled, my voice shaky. I wanted to kill Harry. 

I stayed with Draco all night until he finally managed to sleep. He wasn’t aware that he’d died.

When I went back, Hermione and Harry were arguing.

“Give it a rest, Hermione!” Ginny snapped. “By the sound of it, Malfoy was going to use an Unforgivable Curse! You should be glad Harry had something good up his sleeve!”

Harry definitely hadn’t told them Draco had been dead for a solid half minute. 

“Well of course I’m glad Harry wasn’t cursed!” Hermione said. “But you can’t call that Sectumsempra spell good, Ginny, look where it’s landed him! And I’d have thought, seeing what this has done to your chances in the match-“

“Oh don’t start acting as though you understand Quidditch,” Ginny said. “You’ll only embarrass yourself.”

Hermione and Ginny were glaring at each other angrily.

“Yes Draco was going to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry,” I said. “But I agree that spell was bad. H-He...”

I stifled a sob. Ginny looked confused.

“She was going to say that Draco was dead,” Harry said quietly. “He’s only alive because of Jules’ potion.”

Ginny and Hermione stared at Harry in horror.

“Whatever it’s old news, he’s alive, it’s over,” I said. I blinked tears away and left the Common Room. 

This was the worst birthday ever. 

The next day was a little better. 

The Quidditch game was won by Gryffindor and Ginny and Harry kissed. I didn’t stay for the party because that day Draco was released from the hospital wing.

“Now I’m going to have these nasty scars,” he said. Then he turned to me. “I’m sorry I didn’t make your birthday special at all...whatever you heard...I’m sorry. I didn’t want to burden you.”

“I am here for you, I always am. And you know that. I will support you no matter what,” I said.

”I can’t tell you, still,” Draco said quietly. “But thank you.” 

We walked in silence. When we reached my Common Room, he kissed me and hugged me tight.

”You know, I had a weird dream when I was unconscious,” Draco whispered.

”What was it?” I asked.

”There was this man, he had eyes like yours and curly brown hair. He came up to me and hugged me, and whispered ‘Thank you.’”


	38. Chapter 38

I did not end up telling Draco about how he’d died. He wasn’t aware of the fact he’d seen my father. He wouldn’t know, I wouldn’t tell him. 

I’d told him that it was probably just Bennet Riggs, an old Alchemist who failed to discover a resurrection potion. I modified a picture of him to make Bennett look like my father. Draco believed it. 

Harry and Ginny dating seemed to bring on a brighter atmosphere. Not only were both of them happier, but it meant now Harry didn’t have to third wheel Hermione and Ron which meant they could start talking to each other more. 

The only problem was, things were still not ok. Draco was disappearing more often and speaking to me less, almost like he didn’t want to risk me finding out what he was up to. I stopped waiting up for him at night and simply went to bed as soon as I finished my assignments. 

Ron, Hermione, and I were sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room one night when Harry was supposed to have a meeting with Dumbledore when he ran in.

“Harry?” I asked.

“What did Dumbledore want? Are you ok?” Hermione asked.

“I’m fine,” Harry said. He ran up to his dormitory then came back with the Marauder’s Map. 

“I haven’t got much time,” he said. “Dumbledore thinks I’m getting my Invisibility Cloak.” 

He began to explain how he and Dumbledore were going horcrux hunting and how he’d heard from Trelawney that Snape ratted out his parents.

“...you see what this means?” He finished. “Dumbledore won’t be here tonight so Malfoy’s going to have another clear shot at whatever he’s up to-“

“No he isn’t-“

“Listen to me! I know it was Malfoy celebrating in the Room of Requirement,” he said, shoving the Marauder’s Map into Hermione’s hands. “You’ve got to watch him and Snape. Contact the DA with the Galleons. Dumbledore says he’s put extra protection in the school but if Snape’s involved he’ll know what Dumbledore’s protection is, and how to avoid it. He won’t be expecting you lot to keep watch.”

He turned to me and frowned.

“Jules I know you haven’t been to happy with me after what I did but I’m begging you, try and find out what Malfoy is up to. Something is very very wrong,” Harry said. I nodded grimly. 

“Take this too,” he said, handing me socks.

“What the bloody hell do I need these for?” I asked.

“The Felix Felicis is in them. Split them amongst yourselves and Ginny, tell her I said goodbye,” Harry said. Then he ran out of the Common Room.

“If he’s right then I need to go question Draco,” I said. I took the Marauder’s Map from Hermione and looked at the map. 

“Draco seems to be heading to the Slytherin Common Room. I’ll try to find out,” I said, getting up and leaving. I don’t know how I was planning to find out but I just hoped whatever was revealed wouldn’t result in death.

I went straight to the door of the Slytherin Common Room.

”Pureblood,” I spat, walking in. If I’d calculated my steps then Draco should be in his room.

I went up the stairs and knocked on the door. He opened it and smiled, though he wasn’t necessarily looking happy to see me. 

“Hey Jules,” he said.

”Hey. I’ve been worried about you,” I said. He half smiled, then pulled my hand to let me into the room. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked quietly. He sighed and closed the door, flipping the lock. 

“I-I don’t want to tell you,” he said. I frowned.

”Draco I’m supposed to help you,” I said.

”Well I don’t want you to get hurt! This is going to be all my fault,” he said. 

“What are you talking about?” I asked, a bit too sharply. He stared at me, his eyes watery. He burst into tears and I ran forward to hug him. I led him to the bed and sat him down, wrapping my arms around him.

”I-It’s done and it’s my fault, he’s going to kill me...” Draco said with a shaky voice. I stroked his head and rubbed his back.

”If you would just tell me I could understand better,” I said. “You just need to tell me-“

”Don’t you get it?” He said sharply. “If I tell you then you’re going to try and stop me and then t-they’ll k-kill y-you,” he said. He startsd sobbing again and I hugged him, resting my forehead on his and touching his face gently with my fingertips.

”Whatever you’ve done, it isn’t your fault. It couldn’ be helped. You are a good person who has it difficult. And I still love you no matter what,” I said. He squeezed more tears out and I wiped them away, then kissed his forehead. He cupped my face in his hands and pressed a firm kiss on my lips. I wrapped my arms around him and he pulled me closer, making us mold almost into one person. He slipped his tongue into my mouth and groaned as he kissed me more forcefully. He pulled away and stared into my eyes.

”Jules, let’s do this. After tonight I don’t know where I’ll be, I don’t know if I’ll live or die, please...” he mumbled. I hesitated to speak but nodded slowly. 

He crashed his lips onto mine again, pinning me down onto the bed. His hands traveled to where my shirt was and he tore it off me, only disconnecting his lips to slip it over my head. I grabbed onto his shirt and slipped it off him, my fingers brushing over his chest and again feeling his heart thumping rapidly in his chest. He fumbled where my skirt was and finally he managed to get it off. He placed his hands on my hips. I ran my hands through his hair, bringing him closer to me. I could feel all the heat from our bodies creating an aura of passion, of fire around us. He groaned and moved his hands and started unbuckling his own pants, slipping them off. He wrapped his arms around my back and undid the clasps of my bra. 

Then with a wave of his wand the lights dimmed.

* * *

Draco was gone, and I didn’t notice when he’d left because I’d been collecting my clothes from the floor. 

I got dressed and ran back to the Gryffindor Common Room, where I found several students assembled. 

“Hermione I need the Marauder’s Map,” I said. She gave it to me but pulled me aside.

“Did you find a way for him to tell you?” She asked. I shook my head.

“He’s so stubborn,” she said. I gulped.

“Yeah he is,” I said, turning red. She suddenly gasped.

“Did you two break up over it?” She asked.

“Oh no no,” I said quickly. Then she raised and eyebrow.

“So what happened?” She asked.

“Well uh,” I said sheepishly. Her eyes widened.

“Jules you didn’t!” She said, a smirk on her face. I smiled. 

I looked at the map. 

“He’s by the Astronomy Tower with...” I almost choked on my saliva “Death Eaters.”

Hermione’s mouth dropped open but I didn’t bother saying anything, I simply turned and ran towards the tower.

I carefully waited around the hall heading to the Astronomy Tower. The door to it was open, and standing by the entrance were Draco, Bellatrix, Fenrir Greyback, and the infamous Carrow siblings. 

I charmed myself Invisible, hoping to pass undetected. I walked forward into the hall in plain sight. Not a single head turned. I passed Draco and looked at him sadly. He had been crying. I walked into the Astronomy Tower and went to wait up at the top. I peeked down and saw the distinct figures of Dumbledore and Harry in Hogsmeade.

I wanted to scream at them to not come up. But there wasn’t a way. 

They flew up in brooms, and that’s when I noticed something was wrong with Dumbledore. He looked sickly. I uncharmed myself just as they arrived.

“Jules?” Harry whispered.

“There’s Death Eaters!” I said. Dumbledore gestured to Harry and I to go down a staircase and exit through the door. I hesitated but he urged us. We went down and just as we were turning the knob, we heard a Disarming Charm be cast. 

Harry and I were instantly frozen. If anything it had to have been Dumbledore, to stop us from doing anything. We could see above through the floor.

Draco walked forward, his wand pointed at Dumbledore.

“Who else is here?” Draco demanded. 

“A question I might ask you,” Dumbledore said calmly. “Or are you acting alone?”

“I’ve got back up. There are Death Eaters here in your school tonight,” Draco said. 

“You found a way to let them in?” Dumbledore inquired.

“Yeah,” Draco said, sneering. “Right under your nose and you never realized.”

“Ingenius,” Dumbledore said. “Yet, forgive me, where are they now? You seem unsupported.”

“They’re waiting outside, though I suspect we’ll be fighting your guard soon,” Draco said. “I-I’ve got a job to do.”

“Draco, Draco. You’re not a killer. You proved that when you helped Miss Romano bring about a potion for life. A killer never would’ve done that,” Dumbledore said.

“You don’t know what I’m capable of! I had to help her,” Draco said. 

“In fact I do know what you’re capable of. You almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley. You’ve been trying with increasing desperation to kill me all year. Forgive me, Draco, but they have been feeble attempts...I wonder whether your heart has been really in it...” Dumbledore said.

“It has been in it!” Draco snapped. “I’ve been working on it all year and tonight-“

There was a scream far away outside.

“Perhaps you ought to get on with the job alone,” Dumbledore suggested. “What if your backup has been thwarted by my guard. As you perhaps realized, there are members of the Order of the Phoenix here tonight too. And after all, you don’t really need help...I have no wand at the moment...I can’t defend myself.”

Draco stared. He wasn’t going to do it.

“I see,” Dumbledore said. “You are afraid to act until they join you.”

“I’m not afraid! You should be!” Draco spat.

“But why? I don’t think you will kill me, Draco. While we wait for your friends...how did you smuggle them in here?” Dumbledore asked.

“I mended the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. The other is in Borgin and Burke’s. They make a passage,” Draco said. “It was complex magic but I restored it.”

“Very good,” Dumbledore mumbled. “So the Death Eaters were able to pass from Borgin and Burkes into the school to help you. A clever plan...clever. As you say, right under my nose.”

“And you couldn’t figure out who was behind all that stuff,” Draco scoffed.

“I did. I was sure it was you,” Dumbledore said.

“Why didn’t you stop me, then?” Draco asked. 

“I tried, Draco. I had Miss Romano keep your secrets, I had her lie to her friends. I thought you might stop your task because you cared about her so much,” Dumbledore said.

“Yes I love her,” Draco said. “But that only gave me more reason to do it..the Dark Lord threatened to kill her. He knew about her.” 

I could feel Harry staring at me without him actually doing so. The secret was out, I’d know the entire time. 

“Professor Snape has also been keeping watch over you on my orders,” Dumbledore said. Draco laughed wryly. 

“He’s a double agent, you stupid old man. He isn’t working for you, you just think he is!” Draco said. “He didn’t even know what I was doing in the Room of Requirement, he’s going to soon find I will be the Dark Lord’s new favorite. He’ll be nothing compared to me!” 

“We all like appreciation for our own hard work, of course...but you must have had an accomplice, all the same...someone in Hogsmeade...of course, Rosmerta,” Dumbledore said. “How long has she been under the Imperius Curse?”

“Got there at last, have you?” Draco said tauntingly. 

“So Rosmerta had to pass the necklace onto any Hogwarts student who entered the room unaccompanied? And the poison mead...well she could poison it. Slughorn would give it to me,” Dumbledore said. 

There was another scream, even louder. 

“Someone’s dead, by the way. I don’t know who but they were yours. I stepped over the body,” Draco said. 

“Let’s discuss our options, Draco,” Dumbledore said. 

“Options? I’m standing here with a wand, I’m about to kill you!” Draco spat. 

“If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me. There are options,” Dumbledore said calmly.

“I haven’t got any options!” Draco snarled. “I’ve got to do it! He’ll kill me! He’ll kill my whole family! He’ll kill Jules! If he h-hurts her..”

Draco stifled a sob. I felt my heart hurting. 

I heard footsteps. The Death Eaters had arrived. 

“Draco, do it. Now, Draco, quickly!” Bellatrix hissed. 

Draco was hesitating. He couldn’t do it.

Then Professor Snape burst in.

This was the moment they told me about in the letter, when Snape would kill Dumbledore. Harry did not know this, but I did.

“Severus...” Dumbledore said softly. Why was he pleading if this was the plan?

“Avada Kedavra!” Snape said. Dumbledore’s body flew back over the edge of the tower. I would’ve screamed if I could. 

The spell broke just as the Death Eaters left the room. Harry faced me angrily.

“You knew this whole bloody time and you didn’t say anything,” he said dangerously.

“You heard Dumbledore! They made me! I just knew Draco was trying to kill Dumbledore, I never knew HOW! I never found that out until later! You can’t blame me!” I snarled. Harry shook his head angrily and bolted out the door, pursuing the Death Eaters. 

I ran down in the hallways where a battle was ensuing. 

I came across Ginny, who was dueling a Death Eater I didn’t know. She stumbled and the Death Eater raised his wand.

“Petrificus Totalus!” I screamed. The Death Eater flew back and landed stiff as a board. 

“Jules! Where were you?” Ginny cried.

“Astronomy Tower,” I said. “Snape killed Dumbledore and Harry ran after him.”

Ginny’s eyes widened and she began to run but I pulled her back.

“Stay in here at least!” I snapped. 

Two more Death Eaters advanced to us. I barely managed to shield Ginny from a Cruciatus Curse.

“Glisseo!” I said, pointing my wand at the Death Eater advancing on my side. He turned to ice.

“Reducto!” 

The Death Eater exploded into pieces. 

I wheeled around to see Ginny cast a wicked Bat Bogey Hex on the other Death Eater. 

“And we meet again,” I heard a voice say behind me. I turned as Dolohov blasted me back into a wall. Ginny screamed but I waved her away, getting up and brushing myself off. Dolohov raised his wand.

“Levicorpus!” 

Dolohov flew up into the air. I swatted him into the wall. 

“Crucio!” 

It broke my concentration. Dolohov came crashing to the floor as I writhed in pain. 

“You think you can beat me when your father couldn’t,” Dolohov snarled. “You act as though killing him was only a warm up for me and YOU’RE the real deal.”

“Maybe I am,” I said menacingly. Dolohov raised an eyebrow.

“Reducto!” I screamed. He snarled loudly as his femur snapped in half. 

“How does it feel?” I spat. I cast a hex that caused him to break out in painful boils. He yelled loudly.

There was screaming outside. Dolohov acted as though it was a signal. He shot a curse at me that I narrowly avoided and got up and limped away. 

He would be back for vengeance.

“The Death Eaters are all leaving,” Ginny noticed. 

“Someone’s calling them back,” I said, wiping some blood from my mouth. 

We walked outside and saw a huge crowd near the bottom of the Astronomy Tower. They’d found Dumbledore. 

We went forward, and saw Harry sitting over Dumbledore’s body, crying. 

Tears began to stream down my face. Someone to my right lifted their wand, emitting a bright light. More people began to do it. 

And there we stood, silent, wands raised. I felt broken, I felt useless and stupid. I felt like I could’ve prevented this. I’d supported Draco on Dumbledore’s orders, only to have him disappear. It was likely that I would never see him again.


	39. Chapter 39

No one could believe that Dumbledore was dead. No one believed Snape had killed him. But it was the truth. 

I received an owl when I walked into the Hospital Wing to see Bill. It was a note from Dumbledore. It said he implored me not to resurrect him, and not to reveal that I’d already known Snape would kill him. In anger, I crumpled the letter. 

Why should I keep that a secret? What difference would it make? Harry would find out eventually. 

Of course I understood Dumbledore wanting to stay dead but it made the whole creation of the potion useless. 

Everything was going to shit.

I was staring blankly at the wall behind Bill when Mum and Dad ran in. 

“Bill! Oh Bill!” Mum cried, running to his side. Dad hugged Ginny, Ron, and I. 

Bill’s face was scarred all across the cheeks. He was groaning, and Fleur was staring at him with worry lines etched on her face. 

“You said Greyback attacked him?” Mum asked McGonagall. “But he hasn’t transformed? So what does that mean? What will happen to Bill?” 

“We don’t yet know,” McGonagall said.

“There will probably be some contamination, Arthur,” Lupin said. “It is an odd case, possibly unique...We don’t know what his behavior might be like when he awakens.”

I grabbed some ointment and put it into a towel, dabbing it on Bill’s wounds. Mum breathed unsteadily. 

“And Dumbledore. Minerva is it true...?” Dad asked. She nodded gravely. 

“Dumbledore gone,” Mum said quietly. She looked at Bill and started crying. “Of course it doesn’t matter how he looks...It’s not r-really important...but he was a very handsome little b-boy...always very handsome...and he was g-going to be married!” 

Fleur looked at me and spoke in French.

“Is she insinuating what I think she is?” She asked snappishly.

“Look Fleur she’s just overreacting,” I said quickly. “She just says he was on his way to marriage..”

“No she didn’t mean that. She thinks I won’t want to marry him!” Fleur said indignantly. She turned to Mum and spoke in English. 

“And what do you mean by zat? What do you mean, ‘he was going to be married’?” Fleur said. 

“Well-“

“You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?” Fleur demanded. “You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?”

I stared at Mum, who was hesitating to speak. 

“No that’s not what I-“

“Because ‘e will! It will take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!” Fleur said. Ginny was rolling her eyes.

“Well yes,” Mum said. “But I thought perhaps-given how- how he-“

“You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per’aps you hoped?” Fleur asked. “What do I care ‘ow he looks? I’m good looking enough for the both of us, I theenk. All these scars show my husband is brave! And I shall do zat!”

She went forward and grabbed the towel from me and started dabbing Bill’s face lovingly. Mum stifled another sob. 

“Our Great Auntie Muriel,” Mum said slowly. “Has a very beautiful tiara- goblin made- which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding. She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair.” 

I smiled and Fleur flashed me a smirk. 

“Thank you, that will be lovely,” she said. Next thing I knew, Mum and Fleur had rushed forward and embraced each other, sobbing. Ginny and Hermione looked at me with confusion and Harry and Ron just shrugged it off. 

“See!” Tonks said to Lupin. “She still wants to marry him, even though he’s been bitten! She doesn’t care!” 

I looked between them. So when Harry had mentioned Tonks’ patronus changing and her hair...she liked Lupin. 

I felt the need to leave the room. I shuffled away, not really knowing where I was going. 

Everything was gone. First my dad, then my mum, then Sirius, and now Draco. I didn’t know if I was going to see him and he’d be the same or totally different. What would happen to him? To his family? Would they brain wash him into a worse person? Would he reveal to Voldemort the formula for the Resurrection Potion? Would Voldemort use that against us? Would he try and get me and use me? What if Draco offered me up? 

The questions spinning through my head made me dizzy. I staggered forward and grabbed onto a pillar, breathing hard. 

I was insanely worried about Draco. I didn’t know if he was going to be ok. I can’t believe he’d done that to me...sleep with me then leave without saying goodbye. 

I was starting to doubt whether he actually loved me or if he just used me. I didn’t want to believe it. I wouldn’t, I refused. 

I decided to just go back to the Gryffindor Common Room to avoid being alone with my thoughts. 

I walked in and sat down on the couch, leaning onto Hermione. Harry was still glaring at me.

“What’s up with you?” Ron asked.

“She knew Draco was going to kill Dumbledore and she didn’t tell us,” Harry said. Hermione gripped my hand and squeezed it. 

“Dumbledore made me swear not to say anything,” I said scathingly. “He told me to support Draco through it.”

“That’s stupid,” Harry said. 

“So uh did you find one?” Ron said quickly, trying to break the tension. “A Horcrux?”

Harry shook his head and I felt my heart drop. 

“You didn’t get it? It wasn’t there?” Ron asked.

“No,” Harry said glumly. “Someone had already taken it and left a fake in its place.”

“Already taken?” I stammered.

Harry reached into his pocket and took out a locket with a note. I read it. 

“RAB? Who on Earth? I haven’t heard any Death Eater names starting with R besides Rodolphus Lestrange and his brother Rabastan,” I mumbled. 

“I dunno what it is. But we need to find out, because whoever they are they have the real Horcrux- whether they’re dead or alive I don’t know,” Harry said. 

Examinations were postponed that year, and lessons supended. Many people left within the next weeks, even that bloke Zacharias Smith. Celeste was whisked away immediately by her mother, who threatened to transfer her to an American school if she did not come quietly. Parents no longer felt it was safe for their children to be at Hogwarts. 

Hogsmeade was overflowing with people. The majority of Ravenclaw House and Hufflepuff House had left, leaving several empty beds that ended up being filled with Ministry workers that could be trusted. 

Seo Jin was forced to leave a few days before Dumbledore’s funeral. She and her mother yelled at each other for a long time in the hall and finally she was led out by Anthony so she’d be safe. 

I was now alone in my dorm. And I didn’t want to be alone. 

I slept in the Gryffindor Common Room for the remainder of the school year, some nights going into Draco’s room and curling up on the bed, inhaling the scent he’d left behind. He always smelled like mint and strawberries, and I rather enjoyed that. 

Bill was much better now, his scars were prominent on his face and he liked rare steak now but Fleur addressed this as a good thing.

“Eet ees lucky ‘e is marrying me,” she said happily. “Because ze British overcook their meat, I ‘ave always said this.”

I laughed but Ginny wasn’t too happy.

“I suppose I have to accept she’s marrying him,” she said glumly. 

“She’s not bad,” Harry said. “Ugly though,” he added quickly. Ginny smirked in satisfaction. 

“Well, I suppose if Mum can stand it, I can,” Ginny said. Then she got up and went to bed, kissing Harry on her way out. Ron turned red. 

I looked at Hermione and nodded.

“Harry we found something in the library this morning,” she said.

“RAB?” Harry asked hopefully. I sighed.

“Nope, nothing. It was about Snape actually,” I said. 

“What about him?” Harry asked.

“Well,” Hermione said. “We were sort of right about the Half Blood Prince business.”

“Do you have to rub it in?” Harry asked irritably.

“It’s not that- Eileen Prince is Snape’s mother,” I said. 

“She gave birth to a murderer,” Harry said flatly. 

“Why didn’t he turn you in for using that book though? He had to have known,” Ron said.

“I don’t think he wanted to associate himself with that book,” I said.

“I should’ve shown the book to Dumbledore,” Harry said. “All this time he was showing me how evil Voldemort was in school and I had proof Snape was too-“

“Evil is a strong word,” Hermione whispered.

“You and Jules both kept telling me the book was dangerous!” Harry said.

“And it was! You killed Draco!” I snarled. Hermione flinched.

“Harry none of us could’ve guessed Snape would, you know,” Ron said.

I had known. I knew Snape’s heart couldn’t have been in it. 

The rest of the week passed slowly. Everyone was in mourning, no one happy about anything. Dumbledore’s funeral was the last day of the term.

That morning I went into Draco’s room one last time. It’d been cleared recently, I wasn’t sure why. 

I ran my hand over the bedsheets, the bedposts, the cabinets, the nightstand. So many memories, all gone. 

I opened all of the drawers, wondering if anything resided in there. 

In the bathroom cabinet I found a little box addressed to me. I opened it carefully and saw a locket. I opened the heart and saw a picture of me, and a picture of Draco.

Smiling, I put it on, tucking it into my shirt and pressing the locket close to my heart, breathing in deeply. 

I looked inside the box and saw a note. With trembling hands, I took it out. 

Dear Jules,

If you’re reading this I’m probably already gone. I purposely left this here because I knew you’d find it. 

I’m sorry for all the worry, the misery, the pain I caused you. I never wanted to hurt your friends or you. 

This year was the best of my life, I fell in love with you and I had you there by my side. Of course it was horrible that I had to complete an odius task. I’m sorry it didn’t let me spend more time with you.

Making the Resurrection Potion with you was the greatest thing ever. You’re so brilliant and beautiful...Merlin Jules I love you so much. 

I hope one day I can see you again. I will miss you and think of you every day, and I hope to see you in my dreams. I love you....

With love, 

Draco Malfoy

I wiped a tear from my cheek. Tucking the note in my pocket I set out for the funeral. 

I sat in the middle with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. 

Professor McGonagall asked me to sing a song she knew Dumbledore would love. I took the podium and sang Amazing Grace, tears streaming down my face the entire time.

I went back into the Gryffindor Common Room. 

I sat down next to Hermione and leaned on her shoulder.

“I can’t bear the idea that we might never come back,” Hermione whispered. “How can Hogwarts close?”

“It might not, we’d still be in danger anywhere else,” I said. “Hogwarts is probably safer anyway.”

“I’m not coming back,” Harry said. Ron and I gaped at him.

“Oh I knew you’d say that,” she said.

“What will you do?” Ron asked. 

“I’ll go back to the Dursleys for a bit because Dumbledore wanted me to. Then I’ll be gone for good,” Harry said. I winced.

“But where will you go?” I asked.

“Maybe Godric’s Hollow. I’ve got a feeling I need to go there, maybe visit my parent’s graves,” Harry said.

“In that case I’m coming with you,” I said. 

“Jules...I’ve got to track down the rest of the Horcruxes,” Harry said. “That’s What Dumbledore wanted me to do. That’s why he told me about them. If he was right- there are still four out there. I have to destroy it, I’ve got to go after the seventh bit of Voldemort’s soul, the bit that’s still in his body, and I’m the one who’s going to kill him.”

There was a pause. 

“We’ll be there Harry,” Ron said. 

“What?” Harry asked.

“Ron’s right. We’ll be at your aunt and uncle’s. Then we’ll go with you, wherever that is,” Hermione said.

“No-“ Harry began. I held my hand up to silence him.

“You said to us once before, that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We’ve had time. Ron and Hermione have stuck with you for years and now so will I,” I said confidently. 

“We’re with you whatever happens,” Ron said. “But mate you’re going to have to come round out place before anything, even Godric’s Hollow.”

“How come?” Harry asked.

“Bill and Fleur’s wedding, remember?” Ron said.

A wedding in such an atmosphere was unnatural.

“Yeah we shouldn’t miss that,” Harry said. I noticed his hand clutched the fake Horcrux tighter. 

It didn’t matter what would happen. We would stick together, we would destroy the Horcruxes, we would defeat Voldemort. 

And maybe one day, I would see Draco again. Maybe one day I can avenge my parents once and for all.


	40. Chapter 40

I was washing the dishes early that morning when Ginny came downstairs, still in her pajamas. I smiled at her and she smiled back, but she looked sad. 

She walked forward and rested her head on my shoulder.

“Still thinking about it?” I asked. She nodded.

“It’s stupid,” she said. “Breaking up with me to keep me safe?”

“He understands You Know Who will use someone he cares about against him. That would mean you’d be tortured. It’s for your wellbeing,” I said. “He’s not trying to degrade you and call you weak, he just doesn’t want to see you get hurt.”

She mumbled and joined me in washing. 

“It’s not fair I don’t get to go,” she groaned.

“Ginny you’re underage,” I said. 

“I’m more mature than Ron,” she retorted.

“Perhaps you are but Mum wouldn’t ever let you,” I said. She rolled her eyes. Then she stopped and sighed. 

“Be careful, Jules,” Ginny said quietly. “I’m worried, I have a bad feeling.” 

“It’s going to be fine,” I said, hugging her. She breathed deeply and sighed loudly. 

After washing the dishes I went to do laundry with the twins, who were still helping me pick out my dress for the wedding.

“Look Jules can it PLEASE be black?” Fred asked.

“Yes I’m attending a funeral,” I said.

“It’d be right funny-“ George said.

“-I already TOLD you my favorite colors are red and blue,” I said. 

“What if you wore this one?” Fred asked, pulling out a blue dress I’d just washed. 

“Yeah if you added some sparkles to it I bet it would be lovely,” George said.

I pondered for a minute. 

“I suppose that’d have to do,” I said. Fred and George high fived each other.

“That ferret send you a letter at all?” George asked.

“Of course not,” I said, smirking. I had recently been told Draco had been turned into a ferret in fourth year, I’d never known. 

“Reckon he’s working against us or helping because of you?” Fred asked.

“I’d assume he’d have to work against us but will help us out if we need it,” I said. “I just have to persuade him.”

“Well you better not persuade him like you TRIED to last time because we saw how that ended up,” George said. I rolled my eyes and smacked him with a shirt.

“Oh Jules it’s alright you don’t need to be embarrassed that you slept with a ferret-“ 

I threw a pair of pants at Fred. 

“Nothing wrong with being daring, so long as you don’t make us uncles anytime soon,” George added. I face palmed myself.

Later that day Hermione arrived, expressing the same concerns as Ginny. By then Mum had caught on to all the worry and had begun to insist Hermione and I let Fleur and Elise Rowan (from the Department of Inter Country Communication) go instead. We refused.

In a few hours we left. We arrived in Harry’s house. 

“Ready fer the off?” Hagrid asked. Dad ushered the rest of us into the house.

“I wasn’t expecting this many of you,” Harry said, hugging Hermione, Ron, and I. 

“Change of plan,” Mad Eye Moody growled. 

Tonks and Lupin decided to announce their marriage, earning some annoyance from Mad Eye. I started to miss Draco more. What was he doing at this moment?

“Alright, settle down,” Mad Eye said. “We’ve had to abandon Plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over, which gives us a big problem. He’s made it an imprisonable offense to connect this house to the Floo Network, place a Portkey here, or Apparate in or out. All done in the name of your protection, to prevent You-Know-Who getting in at you. Pointless since your mother’s charm does that already. You’re also still underage which means you’ve still got the Trace around you.”

“I don’t-“ 

“The Trace, the Trace!” Mad Eye said. “If you or anyone casts a spell around here, Thicknesse and the Death Eaters will know. We can’t wait for the Trace to break, because the moment you turn seventeen you’ll lose all the protection your mother gave you. In short: Pius Thicknesse thinks he’s got you cornered good and proper.”

“So what are we doing?” Harry asked.

“Only methods the Trace can’t detect- brooms, thestrals, and Hagrid’s motorbike,” Mad Eye said. “The Death Eaters think you’re not leaving til the thirteenth but You Know Who is bound to have some of his people patrolling the area. So, we’ve given a dozen different houses every protection we can throw at them. They all look like they could be a place we’re going to hide you, a place with some connection with the Order. You’ll be going to Tonks’ parents.” 

“Fourteen of us fly to Tonks’ parents?” Harry asked.

“No, there will be seven Harry Potters in the sky, each with a companion, each pair heading for a different safe house.” 

“I won’t let you do that!” Harry said angrily.

I handed Hermione a Galleon. Harry stared at me indignantly.

“I told her you’d take it like this,” Hermione said. I shrugged. Harry turned back to Mad Eye.

“If you think I’m going to let six people risk their lives-“ 

“-wouldn’t be the first time,” I said. 

“This is different, pretending to be me-“ Harry said.

“None of us really fancy it Harry,” Fred said earnestly. 

“Imagine if something went wrong-“ George said.

“-and we were stuck as specky scrawny gits forever,” I said. Fred laughed and ruffled my hair. Harry laughed too and rolled his eyes, becoming serious again.

“You can’t do it if I don’t cooperate,” he said. 

“Of course we couldn’t,” George said sarcastically.

“Thirteen against one aren’t very nice odds,” I said.

“Plus you can’t use magic,” Fred added. 

“Everyone’s overage and prepared to take the risk,” Mad Eye said impatiently. 

Harry mumbled some curse words and plucked some hair out, dropping it into the open vial of Polyjuice Potion that Moody had taken out.

“Alright Fake Potters line up here,” Moody barked. 

Mundungus Fletcher, the twins, Ron, Hermione, and I lined up. We each took a swig of the potion and became exact replicas of Harry. 

“Wow- we’re identical!” Fred and George said. Fred came and tickled me.

“And we have a triplet Georgie,” he said. 

“Aw at least I look better like this than I would as a triplet to your normal selves-“

“Shut up you like the ferret,” George said. I smirked and rolled my eyes. 

We changed into clothes and began to be assigned to groups.

“Mundungus with me, Arthur take Fred, Remus take George, Tonks take Ron, Kinglsey take Hermione, Bill take Jules, and Hagrid take Harry,” Mad Eye said. “Kingsley and Bill with take their companions by thestral, the rest of you by brooms except for Hagrid.”

Bill high fived me. 

“We expect the Death Eaters to think you’d take broom, Harry. We’re betting they’ll choose whichever Potter looks at home on a broomstick.” 

We all walked outside with our respective companions, prepared for take off.

“Good luck everyone, see you all in about an hour at the Burrow,” Moody said. “On three. One, two, THREE.”

Bill and I set the thestrals in motion, following nearby the path Hagrid and Harry were taken. We were headed to one of the Order members houses, Idina Kirke I think her name was. 

Almost immediately we were surrounded by Death Eaters. 

“They’ve been informed!” Bill said, letting out a string of curse words as my thestral began to get agitated.

“You’re good baby it’s ok,” I whispered in it’s ear as I fumbled in my pocket to take out my wand.

“NO HEDWIG!” I heard someone scream. 

I saw the snowy owl and her cage falling down.

“Jules-“ Bill warned.

I took my thestral into a dive and grabbed onto the cage at the last second, flying up to meet Bill again.

“Oh Hedwig!” I screamed out. “Whatever would I do without you, my pet of nearly 7 years!” 

“What are you doing?” Bill hissed.

“It’ll draw them away from the real Harry!” I said sharply. 

My thestral whinnied and I turned to see a Death Eater approach from Bill side. I barely managed to cast a protective charm. 

“Stupefy!” I screamed. The Death Eater fell off his broom, falling down hundreds of feet. 

A jet of green light shot past my cheek, the heat hitting me.

I did a daring thing. Gripping onto the thestral I hoisted myself around so I was facing what was passing behind us.

“Jules you’ll fall!” Bill snapped as he shot a curse at another Death Eater. 

“Let me do my thing,” I snapped. 

I took out the vials I’d been keeping in my pockets for the longest time. I mixed a few together and put them into a piece of paper I’d kept. 

“When I say now go as fast as possible this is gonna make a big boom!” I said to Bill. He nodded.

“NOW!” I screamed. I moved the little ball with my wand so it positioned itself in the center of the Death Eater possee. 

The explosion knocked them all off their brooms. About four more Death Eaters flew to where they’d been, snarling and firing more Killing curses.

I felt something sting on my back at one point, like a sharp jab in my side. I forced myself to ignore the pain. Turning to the Death Eaters, I realized they weren’t firing curses anymore. They were talking. 

“That’s not him!” I heard one of them say. “That’s that blasted girl who made the Resurrection Potion!” 

“Let’s capture her!” The other one said, lunging forward. I shot a curse and screaming, he fell down. 

“Nevermind him!” The first one said. “We can’t get the girl anyway, You Know Who does not desire her and the Malfoy boy has requested we keep her alive. Something about wanting to torture her personally for not giving him sufficient credit on the Potion!”

Good old Draco. He was saving my life. 

The Death Eaters suddenly looked like they’d received a signal. They turned and began pursuing Hagrid and Harry. 

I screamed in horror.

“Bill, You Know Who is RIGHT THERE!”

Bill turned and gasping, he realized I was right. Voldemort himself was flying in the sky behind Harry and Hagrid. They had to know it was the real him.

“We have to help them!” I said.

“We can’t, we have to go to the safe house!” Bill said. Suddenly I realized Voldemort’s wand had broken into pieces. As he was screaming Harry and Hagrid crashed down, and the Death Eaters dispersed. 

“They could have died!” I screamed. 

“That’s where Tonks’ parents house is! They’re within the charm, they should be fine! A crash like that couldn’t kill either of them, Harry’s fallen about a million times because of Quidditch and Hagrid is is strong,” Bill said.

Cursing, I reluctantly followed Bill to Idina’s house. We dismounted and went inside. The Portkey was not ready yet.

“How was your trip?” Idina asked frantically, bring the thestrals into the house with us. 

“A bit heavy with attack but I think Hagrid and Harry got away,” Bill said. I suddenly gasped and gripped my side.

“Jules!” Bill said, rushing over to catch me. I gasped and gripped my side.

“Oh Merlin she’s got an enormous gash in her side,” Idina said, grabbing onto me and carrying me to her couch. 

“This looks really deep, Jules,” Bill said, grabbing a rag from nearby and pressing it onto my back. I howled in pain.

Idina put some ointment on me that made me grit my teeth so hard my jaw cracked and I bit my tongue. The gash must’ve been enormous because half of my right lower back was on fire. I almost fainted from the pain. 

“You’ll be fine Jules,” Bill said. I winced when Idina added another ointment. It felt different, like a throbbing pain.

”What did you put?” I hissed. I wasn’t supposed to feel a throbbing pain. 

“I put some Herb of Jax-“

”Idina that’s for small wounds!” I snarled. “Put some clove on it before my muscle begins to burn!” 

The lack of knowledge on medicine that everyone possessed amazed me. Hogwarts should teach everyone how to dress wounds. Idina could have killed me from the inside out. 

She threw some clove into the wound and I hissed in pain, but felt the pain aleviated. I felt dizzy and tired now, so I decided to take a nap, although for some reason Bill and Idina were screaming....


	41. Chapter 41

I woke up lying on the couch, George on the floor beside me. Only Lupin, Harry, Mum, Ginny, Fleur, and Bill were inside. 

”Oh Jules you’ve woken up!” Mum sobbed, coming to hug me.

“What happened? I just took a small nap,” I said, wincing as the pain in my back shot through my body.

I suddenly remembered what had happened. I’d been cut. 

“You didn’t nap,” Bill said quietly. “You fainted and then you started seizing. You were screaming and it was horrible, Idina started crying and we thought you were dying but the clove helped I suppose because we added more and you stopped.”

“Ah,” I said, taking it in. “I expect that did happen then, Idina almost killed me.”

“That’s not her fault,” Bill said.

“Of course not,” I said. It wasn’t her fault the education system failed, more people should know. Besides didn’t she read labels? 

Fine, I wouldn’t blame Idina for this. 

“Is George ok?” I asked, looking down and realizing there was a lot of blood by his head. 

“His ear got cursed off,” Ginny said. I gasped, and shot up. I immediately regretted it because my side ached and I felt dizzy.

“You can make him a new ear or whatever later,” Ginny said, pushing me down and pressing a cold rag on my forehead.

I felt a little tingle on my back. The pain suddenly changed. 

“I can’t feel my legs,” I stated casually. To me it was no big deal, I could easily cure this with some wheat and melted chocolate. I guess Mum didn’t see it that way.

“Jules! What happened!” Mum said, coming to fuss over me.

“Oh the pain just mad me numb for a bit it’s no big deal,” I said. Bill scoffed and Fleur looked at me with worry.

“You could be paralyzed,” Bill said.

“But I’m not it’s the pain and side effects,” I said. I didn’t want to worry them, I just wanted to get them to quickly stop talking to me so I could construct a procedure to make George a new ear.

Hermione and Kingsley burst in later. I felt Lupin was overreacting a bit by questioning them but I suppose it made sense since we’d been betrayed. 

“What happened?” Kingsley asked.

“Harry behaved too kindly to Stan Shunpike,” Lupin said.

“So that’s why the Death Eaters went to follow you,” I mumbled. Harry looked at me sadly.

“Thank you for saving Hedwig,” Harry said. I smiled, looking to the empty owl cage nearby. 

“No problem,” I said. 

“What happened to George?” I heard Kingsley ask.

“Lost an ear,” Lupin said.

“Lost an...” Hermione said in a high pitched voice.

“Snape’s work,” Lupin said. 

“Snape?” Harry and I snarled.

“He lost his hood during the chase. Sectumsempra was always a specialty of Snape’s. I wish I could say I paid him back in kind but all I could do was keep George on the broom after he was injured, he was losing so much blood,” Lupin said. I felt even angrier. Of course that stupid spell again.

Dad and Fred arrived next and Kingsley was going to question them but Dad rushed forward to see George.

“Arthur!” Mum sobbed. “Oh thank goodness.”

“How are they?” Dad asked, touching George and I’s faces softly. I smiled.

“George is better, he’s alive,” Mum said. 

Fred came close to his brother.

“How do you feel Georgie?” He asked quietly.

“Saintlike,” George said. Fred gasped in horror.

“Is his mind affected?” He asked.

“Saintlike,” George repeated. He laughed. “You see...I’m holy. Holey. Fred, geddit?”

Fred and I laughed nervously.

“Pathetic! With the whole wide world of ear related humor before you, you go for holey?” Fred asked. 

“Ah well, now you can tell us apart Mum,” George said.

“Nope,” I said. “I’m making you a new ear.”

“But that’s impossible, Jules. We can’t heal it once it’s been cursed off,” Mum said.

“Not with regular magic or healing techniques. You can with Alchemy,” I said. She smiled and began to sob, hugging me tightly. 

Tonks and Ron arrived later and we found out Ron had been an amazing stunner that ultimately led to him and Tonks returning alive. Hermione fussed over him. I was glad to see those two revealing their feelings for each other. 

Kingsley left after awhile. We were only waiting on Mundungus and Moody. 

Bill went to check outside. He came back in.

“No sign of Mad Eye...“ he said solemnly. 

The hours passed. They didn’t show up. There was no way they were alive, Mad Eye Moody wouldn’t have just disappeared. 

We began to discuss the fact we’d been betrayed. The ever so trusting Harry stated his trust for everyone, which made me feel all warm and fuzzy except Lupin didn’t seem to like it.

“You think I’m a fool?” Harry asked sharply.

“No, I think you’re like James. Who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends,” Lupin said.

In this moment I was jealous. Harry had people who remembered his parents, could tell stories about them, tell them which aspects of his personality he resembled them with. My mother had never liked talking about my father and now there was not a living soul that actually knew her. I hadn’t heard from my godmother in years now and I didn’t know if that was good or bad. My mother’s memory resided in me only and even that was tainted, I’d never actually known her that long. When I wasn’t at Hogwarts, she was always working. If I had to total the amount of time I’d actually spent with her, I’d say 2 years out of my 15 years of having her on the same Earth as me, at least as far as I can remember. Of course I couldn’t remember anything before the age of 5 so that left 10 years of lack of interaction with my mother. Had I really known her? 

Bill and Lupin left awhile later to search for Moody and Mundungus. 

“I’ve got to go too,” Harry said.

“Don’t be silly Harry,” Mum said. “What are you talking about?” 

“I can’t stay here,” he said. “You’re in danger with me here-“

“We just went through danger Harry it really can’t get worse,” I said.

“Jules is right! The whole point of tonight was to get you here safely, and it worked. Fleur and Bill are getting married here and everything’s arranged so we can stay together,” Mum said. 

“If he finds out I’m here-“

“He won’t,” I said. “You could be anywhere and they know that. They saw you land in the Tonks house. We went through so much to get you here!”

“Yeah look at my ear and Jules’ back,” George said.

“Mad Eye wouldn’t want-“

“I KNOW!” Harry bellowed. 

There was silence.

“So what happened with You Know Who’s wand exploding?” I asked, trying to aleviate the tension.

“My wand acted off it’s own accord,” Harry said. “The bike was falling, I couldn’t have told you where Voldemort was but my wand spun in my hand and found him and shot a spell at him. It wasn’t even a spell I recognized...I’ve never made gold flames appear before.”

“Often,” Dad said, “when you’re in a pressured situation you can produce magic you never dreamed of. Small children often find, before they’re trained-“

“It wasn’t like that,” Harry said, gritting his teeth. 

He got up and walked out. Hermione, Ron, followed him outside. If I could join I would have.

“How are you feeling, Jules?” Mum asked softly.

“Better. I can feel my legs again,” I said. 

Mum smiled and came to hug me.

“Mum could you get me some bulbadox powder, cinnamon, yeast, and essence of Eleanor?” I asked, sitting up. 

“Alright,” she said, going to the kitchen. I grabbed a vial from my pocket and leaned down to put some of George’s dried blood into it.

“That’s creepy sort of magic Jules it’s not supposed to be possible,” Fred said. 

“Neither was the Resurrection Potion,” I said. George shrugged. 

Mum came back with my ingredients. I pulled out a vial and made it bigger, adding the ingredients in and dropping the blood last. I cast a spell and a purplish liquid appeared. I brought it close to George’s intact ear and dipped it inside, casting another spell. I cleaned his ear off then noticed the liquid was bubbling. I added more of the blood and the liquid fizzed, then stopped, solidifying. An ear was inside. 

I placed it where George’s ear was missing. I cast another spell and the ear connected. George groaned a bit but then the blood disappeared from his face. 

Mum stifled a sob.

“Jules...” she said. George whooped and Fred hugged his brother.

“We’re identical again!” Fred said. I smirked and he nodded to me. 

Harry, Hermione, and Ron came back inside and went upstairs. I still couldn’t move so I slept downstairs that night. 

It was probably around 1am by the time everyone was actually going to sleep. George wasn’t tired at all and neither was I. Fred was fast asleep (he’d decided to sleep downstairs with us). 

“Oi Jules, do you reckon you’re going to marry Malfoy?” George asked. I moved slightly to face him and winced. 

“I don’t know. I don’t think about that, really,” I said. “I suppose if this all ends soon I would LIKE to marry him, assuming we both survive and his parents don’t hate me.”

“Well I’m asking because I heard him telling Zabini two years ago that he wanted to marry you,” George said. I snorted.

“That’s silly, we were in fifth year! He’d barely met me,” I said. George shrugged.

“I know Freddie here is nuts about Angelina and has basically wanted to marry her since third year,” he said. “And we all could see how Malfoy looked at you...He really fell in love with you, Jules.” 

“I wouldn’t even have thought he’d be the type to say something like that, it seems too sappy for him,” I said. George rolled his eyes.

“Jules he sent you like three love related books last year,” he said.

“They were Alchemy related, excuse you,” I said. “They simply happened to have romance as part of the plot to develop it.”

“Sure,” George said, smirking at me. 

I laughed. Fred snored. George snickered. 

“Who do you like, George?” I asked.

“I always liked Katie Bell, honestly,” George said. “She’s really pretty and kind. She always laugh at my jokes, too.” 

“So you’d choose your future wife based on whether she laughed at your jokes?” I asked. He shrugged.

“How can someone stand being married to me if they don’t like what I joke about? It’d be a right nightmare living with someone who makes bloody awful jokes,” George said. I laughed again and this time Fred woke up. He stared at us and smiled, then went back to sleep.

“He’s a heavy sleeper,” George said. “I’m the one that wakes up for everything.”

I moved to lay on my stomach.

“Back still hurting?” George asked.

“A lot yes, Idina basically burned my flesh,” I said, a bit angrily.

“Idina was never too bright according to Mum. She was in Hogwarts with her,” George said. 

“That explains why she can’t read labels,” I said. “What was she, in Dumb-inclaw?” 

George snorted. There was a knock.

“Probably Bill and Lupin coming back,” George said. 

He got up and went to open the door. 

Bill and Lupin walked in.

“How many years older than me are you?” George asked Bill.

“8,” Bill said. George smirked and turned to Lupin.

“What was your first lesson at Hogwarts about, and what was my thingy?” George asked.

“Boggarts. Yours was, your brother’s corpse,” Lupin said. George nodded, coming back to lay down.

“Dad would be so proud of you,” I said with a smirk. George smiled, then his expression turned serious.

“Got any news?” He asked.

“We can’t find either of them, they never checked into the safe house and they’re not at Grimmauld Place,” Bill said.

“I suspect Moody was killed,” Lupin said gravely. “Mundungus must’ve fled the scene or also been killed. The Death Eaters never would’ve taken them prisoner.”

I sighed loudly, cuddling my pillow.

“We’ll try and find out more later,” Bill said as he and Lupin left. 

“Goodnight Jules,” George said with a yawn.

“Goodnight George,” I replied, curling up on the couch. 

The next morning the atmosphere became really depressing. 

I was needing some company so I forced myself to stand up. (Luckily I felt well enough to do so). I walked upstairs and went into Harry and Ron’s room. The boys were already awake.

“Hi Jules,” Harry said. “Feeling better?”

“Quite,” I said, coming to sit next to him. 

Ron turned back to Harry.

“We can’t do anything about the Horcruxes til you’re seventeen. You’ve still got the Trace on you,” Ron said.

“Well we should still start planning,” I said. “We can plan here, but d’you reckon you already know where the Horcruxes are?”

“No,” Harry said solemnly.

“Hermione and I’s research didn’t amount to anything before the end of the term but recently Hermione has researched more and has some information to share later,” I said. 

Mum brought breakfast up for us then left to wake Hermione and Ginny.

“The Trace breaks the thirty first,” Harry said, biting into a biscuit. “That means we only need to stay four days-“

“-five,” Ron said. 

“Yeah, the wedding, Harry!” I said. “They’ll kill us if we miss it.”

“Yeah it’s just an extra day,” Ron said.

“I suppose,” Harry sighed. “Don’t they realize how important-“

“Of course not. They haven’t got a clue,” I said. 

“Now that you mention it we need to tell Harry,” Ron said. 

“Tell me what?” Harry asked.

“Mum’s been trying to get it out of Hermione, Ron, and I,” I said. “She keeps inquiring what we’re planning.”

“You’re next so brace yourself,” Ron said. “Lupin and Dad both asked but when we said Dumbledore told you not to tell anyone except us, they dropped it. Mum’s determined though.”

The next time Mum came into the room she asked to talk to Harry privately.

“Called it,” Ron said. 

Later Mum piled us up with so many duties I knew damn well Harry hadn’t told her absolutely anything. 

“I think Mum thinks that if she can stop you four from getting together and planning, she’ll delay you leaving,” Ginny said. 

“Well somebody’s got to kill off Voldemort,” I said. 

Ginny got pale. 

“So that’s what you’re trying to do,” Ginny said. 

“It’s a joke,” I said quickly. “We’re doing something else, it doesn’t concern him as much.” 

Ginny huffed, not believing me. 

At lunch the wedding was brought up again.

“We must decide ‘ow you and ‘Arry will be disguised for ze wedding,” Fleur said. “Of course none of our guests are Death Eaters but we cannot guarantee zat zey will not let slip after zey ‘ave ‘ad champagne.”

“We’ll be disguised as Weasley relatives of course,” I said. “There isn’t any way the guests know EXACTLY who exists in the family so there’s a large chance that we can come as redheads and no one will know.”

“Good idea,” Mum said. “Now Ron, have you cleaned out your room yet?”

“Why?” Ron exclaimed. “Why’s it got to be cleaned out? Harry and I are fine with the way it is!”

“We’re holding your brother’s wedding here in a few days time young man!” Mum said sharply. Ginny and I snickered.

“Are they getting married in my bedroom?” Ron asked. “No! So why in the name of Merlin’s saggy-“

“Don’t you talk to your mother that way,” Dad said. 

“Ron go clean,” Mum said.

“I can help, some of it’s my mess,” Harry said.

“And mine too,” I piped up. Mum squinted at us.

“No Harry dear I’d much rather you helped Arthur muck out the chickens and Jules, please help Hermione and Ginny change the sheets. You do Gabrielle’s room and the other girls will do Monsieur and Madame Delacour’s room,” Mum said. Smart, keeping us apart. 

Hermione and I both knew we’d already changed the sheets so we went into Ron’s room.

Harry arrived awhile later.

“How did you two manage to get away?” He asked.

“Changed the sheets yesterday,” I piped up.

Hermione kept sorting books and I began to play with Crookshanks, who had adopted me as an ideal person. Quite an honor since cats were very selective about liking people. 

“What are you doing with the books?” Ron asked. 

“Just trying to decide which ones to take with us,” Hermione said. 

I stopped petting Crookshanks to put a Runes book in the pile.

“You never know if we’ll need to translate Runes,” I said. Hermione smiled.

“Listen,” Harry said. He sat up straight. “I know you said after Dumbledore’s funeral that you wanted to come with me.”

“Here he goes,” Ron said, rolling his eyes.

“I knew it,” I said. Hermione slipped her book into the bag.

“Listen!” Harry said sharply.

“No, you listen!” Hermione said. “We’re coming with you, that was decided months ago, years really.”

“But-“

“Shut up,” Ron said.

“-are you sure you’ve thought this through?” Harry asked.

“Let’s see,” I said. “Hermione and I did endless research. We’ve both been packing for days, so we’re ready to leave at a moment’s notice. And THAT has involved difficult magic under Mum’s nose. I’ve organized pretty much every essential element of Alchemy into a vial for on the go concoctions to save lives. Not all of them are stable substances and it was dangerous but as of now...well we’re prepared.” 

“And I’ve modified my parents’ memories so that they’re convinced they’re really called Wendell and Monica Wilkins, and that their life’s ambition is to move to Australia, which they have now done,” Hermione said. “That’ll make it difficult for Voldemort to track them down. Assuming I survive our hunt for the Horcruxes, I’ll find them and lift the enchantment. If I can’t..they’ll be safe and happy. They don’t know they’ve got a daughter.”

I went towards her and hugged her.

“We’ll fix them later, you’re so brave,” I whispered. She teared up. 

“I’m sorry Hermione, I didn’t know-“ Harry began.

“Didn’t realize that we know perfectly well what might happen if we come with you?” Hermione asked. “Ron show Harry what you’ve done.”

“He’s just eaten,” Ron said.

“C’mon,” Hermione insisted.

“Fine. Descendo,” Ron said. He showed Harry the Ghoul that was meant to be “Ronald Weasley with spattergroit.”

”When we don’t show up to Hogwarts everyone’s going to think Hermione, Jules, and I went with you, right? So the Death Eaters will go straight for the families to see if there’s information,” Ron said. 

“Hopefully it’ll look like I’ve gone away with Mum and Dad since loads of Muggle borns are going into hiding,” Hermione said.

“We can’t hide my whole family, it’ll look too fishy and they can’t leave their jobs. So we’re going to put out the story that I’m seriously ill with spattergroit, which is why I can’t return to school. If they investigate Mum and Dad can show them the ghoul. They won’t want to come near since it’s highly contagious,” Ron explained.

“What about Jules?” Harry asked.

“I’m in fact going to put out the story I moved to America with my godmother because she was too afraid to send me back to Hogwarts. It’s not a lie essentially except I haven’t spoken to her in years. The Death Eaters won’t even go to America to check- they can’t,” I said.

“Well we really need to decide,” Hermione began, “where we’re going after we leave here. I know you said Godric’s Hollow, Harry, but shouldn’t we make the Horcruxes our priority?”

“If we knew where they were then I’d agree with you,” Harry said.

“Maybe Voldemort might be keeping watch on Godric’s Hollow. He’ll likely expect you to go back and visit your parents’ graves once you’re free to go wherever you like,” I said. 

“That didn’t occur to me,” Harry mumbled. 

There was a silence.

“Anyway this RAB person, he said he was going to destroy the real Horcrux right?” Harry asked.

“Yep. I’m starting to wonder if they really did finish it off,” I said.

“Exactly, but how are we going to trace it to find out if its really destroyed or not?” Hermione asked. 

“Good question. How DO you even destroy a Horcrux?” Ron asked.

“Take it away, Hermione,” I said proudly. She beamed.

“I’ve been researching in books Dumbledore had..he removed them from the library,” she said. “I just did a Summoning Charm and they came into the girl’s dormitory.”

“You are brilliant Hermione,” Ron said. She blushed crimson. 

“They’re awful books...why did Voldemort even ask Slughorn how to make a Horcrux if he’d already read that?” I asked.

“Well he only approached him to ask what happens when you split your soul into seven,” Harry said. 

“Can you put yourself back together?” Ron asked.

“Yes but it is excruciatingly painful,” Hermione said.

“How do you do it?” Harry asked.

“Remorse, you’ve got to feel what you’ve done. The pain could destroy you,” Hermione said.

“Does the book say how to destroy them?” Ron asked.

“Yes. Harry destroyed Riddle’s diary with one,” Hermione said.

“We’ve got a large supply of basilisk fangs,” Ron said sarcastically. “I was wondering what on Earth we’d do with them.” 

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be that though,” I said. “Anything destructive, that can’t be repaired. Basilisk venom only has one antidote so that makes sense.”

“Exactly. But there are only few substances like that. Jules, any ideas?” Hermione asked. 

“If I brewed a potion with nitroglycerin, cumin, peppermint, and dittany then yes but that could kill me in the process,” I said.

“I wish I asked how Dumbledore destroyed the ring,” Harry said miserably.

Mum burst in and her eyes widened.

“I’m sorry to break up this cozy little gathering,” she said coldly. “You need to rest...but there are wedding presents that need sorting out and I was under the impression you agreed to help.”

“Of course,” Hermione and I said, jumping up. 

The next morning Monsieur and Madame Delacour showed up in all their elegance, with their young daughter Gabrielle.

”Maman! Papa!” Fleur said, rushing forward to embrace her parents. 

Her mother was absolutely gorgeous, and her father not as much but he seemed like a very kind man.

“You ‘ave been to much trouble,” Monsieur Delacour said. “Fleur tells us you ‘ave been working very ‘ard.” 

“No trouble at all,” Mum said warmly. Ron snorted.

Monsieur Delacour grabbed Mum’s hand.

“Dear lady! We are most honored at the approaching union of our two families! Let me present my wife, Apolline,” he said. 

Madame Delacour kissed Mum’s cheeks excitedly.

“Enchantée!” She said. 

Fleur beamed. I could see Ginny gagging.

“And...Of course you ‘ave met my leetle daughter, Grabrielle!” Monsieur Delacour said, bringing a little girl up. She looked like a miniature Fleur. 

“Maman, Papa,” Fleur said, “this is my old companion from Beauxbains- ‘er name is Juliana.”

Monsieur and Madame Delacour both swooped down to kiss my cheeks. They spoke to me in French.

“We’re delighted to meet you! Are you a family friend of theirs?” Madame Delacour asked.

“Yes, almost like family,” I said with a smile. 

“Do you still go to Beauxbatons?” Gabrielle asked.

“No, I go to Hogwarts now,” I said.

“I’m starting this year, I was hoping perhaps we could be friends,” she said. 

“We can still be friends,” I said. She smiled and nodded her head.

I wondered, then, how things would be if I’d never left Beauxbatons. I never would have befriended the Trio. Never would’ve met Draco. Never would’ve had such an interesting life. Never would have made the Resurrection Potion. Maybe my mother would still be alive. 

The memories of what if haunted me. I would not be about to go off hunting Horcruxes. I wouldn’t be planning a wedding. I’d probably be in France, hanging out with Clarisse, my old friend. Maybe I’d have a different boyfriend. Maybe I’d never have succeeded so much at Alchemy. 

What if? I didn’t know.


	42. Chapter 42

The next morning was Harry’s birthday. Of course since he was seventeen now I wasn’t surprised when I walked into his and Ron’s room to find things zooming around and colliding with the walls.

“I mean I suppose you can just abuse the wall,” I said, dodging a textbook that almost gave me my second concussion. I reached out and grabbed the book, snorting as I read the title.

“Twelve Fail Safe Ways to Charm Witches?” I asked. “Oh please, Harry, you don’t want to read this rubbish. It was written by a BOY. They never know.” 

“And you suppose a girl would know better?” Ron asked.

“I mean it’s a book about charming us I suppose they should,” I said. Harry rolled his eyes.

We went downstairs and to Harry’s delight there was a pile of presents on the table.

“Arthur told me to wish you a happy seventeenth, Harry,” Mum said, signaling me over so I could grab myself and the boys a plate of food. “He had to leave early for work, but he’ll be back for dinner. That’s our present on top.”

Harry opened the box to reveal a watch like the one Ron had received.

“It’s traditional to give a wizard a watch when he comes of age,” Mum said. “I’m afraid that one isn’t new like Ron’s, it was actually my brother Fabian’s. He wasn’t terribly careful with his possessions, it’s a bit dented on the back but-“

Harry rushed over and hugged Mum tightly. I beamed. 

I grabbed my present from the table and handed it to Harry. 

”What is it?” He asked, twirling the little black box in his hand. 

“Press the button,” I said. 

Harry pressed it. A voice began to escape the box.

“We’re so proud of you,” the female voice said.

“We know you’re doing incredible things,” a male voice joined in. 

Harry teared up. 

“Are those....” he asked. 

“Your parents, yeah. It can’t say anything else but,” I said, adding the next part in a whisper. “I knew you might need it to...you know...stay motivated.” 

Harry came and hugged me too. I wrapped my arms tightly around him. He breathed a shaky breath, almost like he was crying.

“Happy birthday, Harry!” Hermione trilled, coming in and handing him a present. It was a new Sneakescope.

We ate breakfast in a hurry then began to go back upstairs because with the Delacours there the table was crowded. 

“Harry? Will you come here a moment?” A voice called. Ginny appeared from her room.

I pushed Harry forward and Hermione and I urged Ron to continue upstairs.

The instant we got to his room he sidestepped and ran downstairs.

“Ron!” Hermione and I hissed, hurrying after him. We all reached Ginny’s room at the same time, and Ron opened the door to reveal Harry and Ginny jumping apart from what looked like a very passionate kiss.

“Oh Ron,” I snapped.

“Well, happy birthday anyway, Harry,” Ginny said. Harry came out of the room and trudged downstairs and outside. Ron followed him. 

“Sorry Ginny,” I said.

“It’s fine,” she said, although she didn’t really sound like it was fine. Hermione and I darted down to where the boys were.

“Ron,” Hermione said in a warning tone. He held his hand up to silence her.

“She was really cut up when you ended it,” Ron said.

“And I was too! You know why I stopped it, and it wasn’t because I wanted to!” Harry said.

“Ron leave him alone,” I said. 

“Yeah but you go snogging her now and she’s just going to get her hopes up again!” Ron said.

“She’s not an idiot!” Harry retorted. “She knows it can’t happen, she’s not expecting us to- to end up married, or-“

“If you keep groping her every chance you get,” Ron said. I pushed Harry away from him.

“It won’t happen again,” Harry said angrily. “Okay?” 

“Right then,” Ron said. “Well that’s...yeah.”

Charlie’s arrival later helped break the created tension between the boys. 

Together we all pitched in to make a nice party setting for Harry in the garden, full of purple. I’d charmed the candles to glow brighter and levitate above us, like they did at Hogwarts. Hermione put streamers in the trees and the twins made purple lanterns with the number 17 float where the candles were.

Mum brought out an enormous Snitch cake, which made Harry’s eyes grow as wide as saucers.

“I wish Dad would hurry up and get here,” Charlie said. “Mum’s getting edgy.” 

Immediately after a streak of light came and said in Dad’s voice “Minister of Magic coming with me.”

Lupin and Tonks hurried away, leaving me to wonder what in Merlin’s name he was coming here for. 

Dad and Rufus Scrimgeour popped up right after. 

“Sorry to intrude,” Scrimgeous said. “Especially as I can see that I am gate-crashing a party. I require a private word with you. Also with Mr Ronald Weasley, Miss Hermione Granger, and Miss Juliana Romano.”

“Us?” Ron asked. “Why us?”

“I shall tell you that when we are somewhere more private,” Scrimgeour said. “Is there such a place?” 

“Yes of course,” Dad said nervously. “The er, sitting room, why don’t you use that?”

“Lead the way, Mr Ronald Weasley,” Scrimgeour said. “There will be no need to accompany us, Arthur.”

Dad reluctantly stayed behind as we walked in with Scrimgeour. 

“I have some questions for the four of you,” Scrimgeour said as we sat down on the sofa. “If you three-“ he pointed at us “-can wait upstairs, I will start with Ronald.”

I stayed rooted to the spot.

“We’re staying here. You can speak to us together or not at all,” I said. Scrimgeour stayed at me coldly. 

“Fine. I’m here as you surely know, because of Albus Dumbledore’s will,” he said. 

We looked at each other. 

“You were not aware then that Dumbledore had left you anything?” Scrimgeour asked curiously.

“Ron, Hermione, and I too?” I asked.

“Yes-“

“Hold up,” Harry said. “Dumbledore died over a month ago. Why has it taken this long to give us what he’s left us?”

“Obviously because the Ministry wanted to examine what he left us,” I said coldly. “You had no right.”

“I had every right,” Scrimgeour snapped. “The Decree for Justifiable Confiscation gives the Ministry the power to confiscate the contents of a will-“

“-if and only if they are of suspicion to hold a sort of curse. If you can PROVE they might have a curse,” I said. “The law was created to stop wizards passing on Dark artifacts. And the Ministry is supposed to have powerful evidence that the deceased’s possessions are illegal before seizing them! You’re basically saying Dumbledore was trying to pass us something cursed. Might I remind you that the evidence to perform such an act needed to be a verbal recorded statement, a photograph, or a written letter with under Veritaserum testimony? Seeing as you have none of those then you ACTUALLY didn’t have any right.” 

“Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Romano?” Scrimgeour asked bitterly.

“As a matter of fact I am. And I swear to you if you are still Minister when I get there you will regret doing this,” I said menacingly. Scrimgeour’s nostrils flared.

“So why have you decided to let us have our things now?” Harry asked. “Can’t think of a pretext to keep them?” 

“No. It’s because the thirty one days are up,” I said with a smirk to Scrimgeour. “They can’t keep objects longer than that unless they can prove they’re dangerous.”

Scrimgeour gave me a look of pure loathing. He turned to Ron.

“Would you say you were close to Dumbledore, Ronald?” He asked.

“Me? Not really...It was always Harry who-“

Hermione shot him a look.

“You’re being modest Ron,” I said quickly. “Remember all the times he praised you for all your achievements and mentored you to be a better prefect? I’d say he was very fond of you.”

Scrimgeous simply ignored me and took out a scroll. 

“The last will and testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore,” he read. “To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it.”

He handed Ron the Deluminator.

“Valuable object,” Scrimgeour said. “It may even be unique. Certainly it is of Dumbledore’s own design. Why would he have left you an item so rare?”

“To put out lights I suppose,” Ron said. “What else could I do with it?”

Scrimgeour continued reading.

“To Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard, in the hope she will find it entertaining and instructive.”

He handed Hermione a book.

“Why do you think he left you that book, Miss Granger?” Scrimgeour asked.

“He knew I liked books,” she said. “He must’ve thought I’d enjoy it.”

Scrimgeour just scowled.

“To Juliana Elizabeth Romano, I leave my set of AP Alchemy books, in the hope that she will continue to learn and use it to her advantage,” Scrimgeour said, handing me three little books.

“Now why do you think Dumbledore would leave you Alchemy books if you already knew everything there was to the subject?” Scrimgeour asked.

“Obviously I don’t know everything,” I snapped. “He definitely knew I could learn more and make better potions.” 

Scrimgeour ignored me. 

“To Harry James Potter, I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill.”

He gave Harry the Snitch. 

“Why would he leave you this?” Scrimgeour asked, eyeing Harry closely.

“For the reasons you read,” Harry said.

“Your birthday cake is also a Snitch,” Scrimgeour said. Ohhh he was testing my patience.

“It surely couldn’t be because Harry’s a brilliant Seeker, that’s too obvious!” I said sarcastically. Hermione smirked.

“Dumbledore must’ve hidden a message in the icing!” She added. I snorted. Scrimgeour looked irritated.

“This Snitch could be a good hiding place for a small object,” he said. “You know why, I’m sure?”

“Snitches have flesh memories,” Hermione said. 

“Exactly. A Snitch is not touched by bare skin before it is released, not even by the maker, who wears gloves. It carries an enchantment by which it can identify the first human to lay hands upon it, in case of a disputed capture. The Snitch will remember your touch, Potter,” Scrimgeour said. “It occurs go me, that Dumbledore might’ve enchanted the Snitch so that it will open only for you.” 

Harry took the Snitch and nothing happened. 

“Clearly there isn’t anything in it,” I said happily. Scrimgeour rolled his eyes.

“Dumbledore has also left you the sword of Godric Gryffindor,” he said, although he did not pull out a sword. “Unfortunately, the sword was not Dumbledore’s to give away. It is an important historical artifact, and as such, belongs-“

“-to Harry,” Hermione said hotly. “It chose him, he pulled it out of the Sorting Hat!” 

“It can choose any worthy Gryffindor,” Scrimgeour said. “That doesn’t make it belong to Mr Potter. Why would Dumbledore want to give you that sword?”

“Maybe he thought it would look nice on my wall,” Harry said sarcastically. 

“This isn’t a joke!” Scrimgeour snarled. “Did he believe that only the sword of Godric Gryffindor could defeat the Heir of Slytherin? Did he wish to give you the sword because he and others believed you are destined to destroy He Who Must Not Be Named?” 

“Interesting theory,” Harry said. “Has anyone ever tried sticking a sword into Voldemort?” 

“Maybe the Ministry should put people onto that instead of wasting their time stripping down Dumbledore’s gifts to us,” I snapped. “And covering up the Azkaban breakouts.”

“You go too far!” Scrimgeour said, jumping up. Harry and I did too. Scrimgeour came towards me and jabbed his wand into my chest, singeing a hole in my shirt right under where my throat was. I didn’t flinch, but Ron jumped up. 

“Oi!” He said. Harry pushed him back.

“Don’t give him an excuse to arrest us,” Harry said firmly.

“Yeah, I don’t mind a little fire,” I said coldly. “In fact, Minister, I’d be more worried about loose Death Eaters if I were you. But you’re not, are you? You sit there in your office, covering it up, trying to act like nothing’s wrong.”

“You insolent brat,” Scrimgeour snarled, jabbing the wand farther in. I felt my skin burn. I stared at him angrily.

“You may be the Queen of the Dead as they call you but you will not tell me what to do!” Scrimgeour snarled. “And Potter you may wear that scar like a crown but you can’t tell me what to do either! It’s time you both learned some respect!”

“It’s time you earned it,” I shot back. 

Mum and Dad burst in.

“We heard raised voices,” Mum said with a shaky voice. The Minister took his wand from me and glanced at the hole in my shirt. 

“It was nothing,” Scrimgeour said. “I regret your attitude. You seem to think that the Ministry does not desire what you- what Dumbledore desired. We ought to be working together.”

“I don’t like your methods, Minister. Remember?” Harry asked. He showed him his hand, where the faded scar of “I must not tell lies” resided. I raised my hand, showing my “I will keep my mouth shut” scar. Scrimgeour flinched. He turned and stormed out of the house.

“What did he want?” Mum whispered.

“To give us what Dumbledore left us,” I said. “They’ve only just released the contents of his will.”

Harry’s birthday celebration was quite tense afterward. I had changed my tshirt, and was now staring fondly at the scar on my hand. I still had a loud voice. Screw you, Dolores Umbridge.

Later Hermione urged us upstaids to speak in privacy.

“Muffliato,” she said.

“Thought you didn’t approve of that spell?” Ron said. 

“Times change. Show us all the gifts,” Hermione said. We took out what we’d received.

The Deluminator didn’t have any special qualities, and neither did my book, although some of the things in the book that were more faded were all ingredients for destructive potions that could destroy almost anything...

Hermione noticed writing on the Snitch and gasped so loudly I got startled and dropped my books on my feet. 

I open at the close, it read. 

“Obviously all these things mean something, though we don’t know what yet,” I said. Hermione nodded.

“Let’s not think about that then. We should get to bed, it wouldn’t do to oversleep tomorrow,” Hermione whispered. 

“No,” Ron agreed. “A brutal quadruple murder by the bridegroom’s mother might put a bit of a damper on the wedding.”


	43. Chapter 43

For the wedding, Harry became “Cousin Barny Weasley” and I became “Cousin Millie Weasley.”

I should’ve thought a bit more about my dress because the blue didn’t go as well with ginger hair as it did with my normal brown hair but nothing more could be done. The twins still thought I would look better in black. 

“When I get married,” Fred began as I fixed his tie, “I won’t be bothering with any of this nonsense. You can all wear what you like, and I’ll put a full Body Bind Curse on Mum until it’s all over.”

“It won’t get to that point, she’s not that bad,” I said with a smirk.

“True, she was decent this morning,” George noticed. “Cried a bit about Percy not being here, but who wants him? Oh blimey, brace yourselves- here they come, look.”

Several members of Fleur’s family had arrived, which included a wide array of veela girls. Some I recognized from Hogwarts, but one stood out the most.

“Clarisse!” I shrieked. 

The black haired girl with blue eyes turned in all her radiance, a smile on her face, her eyes darting to see where the voice came from. I stood up and waved to her. She looked confused. She walked over.

“Is that you, Jules?” She whispered when she came closer. 

“Disguised of course,” I said. She covered her mouth with her hands and shrieked, hugging me tightly.

“I’ve missed you so much! The last letter I got from you was about halfway through last year where you told me about that handsome Malfoy boy you were dating,” Clarisse said. I blushed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw George gawking at her. 

“Boys, this is my best friend Clarisse LaVerne. Clarisse, this is Fred and George Weasley,” I said. Fred cordially shook her hand, but George grabbed it and kissed it. 

“Enchantée,” he breathed. Clarisse giggled, her cheeks turning red. 

“Why don’t you this with us, Clarisse?” I asked, going to sit two seats away from George so she could sit in between.

“I think I will,” she said, not taking her eyes off George. 

“You’ve got a lovely dress on,” George said. 

“Thank you, it’s my mum’s,” Clarisse said.

“Red is my favorite color,” George continued. Clarisse’s eyes widened.

“Mine too! By any chance do you listen to Undead Vamps?” She asked. George nodded excitedly. Fred rolled his eyes and moved to sit next to me. 

“I suspect those two will like each other quite a bit,” he noticed.

“Definitely, Clarisse loves red heads and she’s a bit of a jokester herself. She helped me with so many pranks before- she once Transfigured every quill in the school to become a lizard,” I said. Fred smirked.

I looked back and Fred groaned.

“That’s Auntie Muriel,” he said.

“I should go meet her,” I said, getting up.

“She’s going to insult you, just you wait,” he said as I climbed over his legs to go greet her. I walked up to where Harry was, Ron bringing her closer. 

“...your hair’s much too long, Ronald, for a moment I thought you were Ginevra. Merlin’s beard, what is Xenophilius Lovegood wearing? He looks like an omelet- and who are YOU?” Muriel asked.

“That’s our cousins Barny and Millie,” Ron said. 

“More Weasleys? You breed like gnomes. Millicent or whatever your name is, that dress does not go with your hair and your nose is too wide,” Muriel said. 

Not my body at all, in fact it belonged to a Muggle girl from the nearby village. 

“Sorry ma’am,” I said. She huffed.

“You girls don’t know how to dress right anymore. I’ve just been instructing the bride on how to wear my tiara,” Muriel said. “Goblin made, you know, and been in my family for centuries. She’s a good looking girl, but still- French.”

“The French are fine,” I said a bit snappishly.

“And I suppose you say that because most of them are veela?” Muriel asked.

“My mother was French, thank you very much,” I said. “And she wasn’t a veela.”

“The French are much too dramatic,” Muriel said, ignoring my comment. “Well find me a good seat, Ronald, I am a hundred and seven and I ought not be on my feet too long.”

And with that he led her away. 

“She’s scary,” Harry noticed.

“What in Merlin’s name has she even got against the French?” I asked. 

“Maybe doesn’t like their food,” Harry said. I rolled my eyes, and saw Ron coming back.

“Nightmare, Muriel is,” he said. “She used to come for Christmas every year, then, thank God, she took offense because Fred and George set off a Dungbomb under her chair at dinner. Dad always says she’ll have written them out of her will- like they care, they’re going to end up richer than anyone in the family, rate they’re going.” 

I turned and saw Hermione enter and walk towards us. I gasped and the boys turned.

“Wow,” Ron mumbled. “You look great!”

“Always the tone of surprise,” Hermione said with a smile. The lilac dress Ginny and I had helped her pick made her look more incredible than she usually did. “Your Great Aunt Muriel doesn’t agree. I just met her upstairs and she said ‘Oh dead, is that the Muggle Born? Bad posture and skinny ankles.’”

“Don’t take it personally, she’s mean to everyone,” Ron said. 

Then the unmistakable Viktor Krum walked up to Hermione and tapped her on the shoulder. 

“You look vunderful,” he said. 

“Viktor!” She shrieked, dropping her bag. I bent down to pick it up. “I didn’t know you were- goodness- it’s lovely to see- how are you?”

Krum smiled and shook my hand.

“I remember you. You vent to Beauxbatons vith Fleur, didn’t you?” He asked.

“Yep, I was the girl who almost spilled punch on you at the Yule Ball,” I said. He smirked. 

“How come you’re here?” Ron asked a bit sharply.

“Fleur invited me,” Krum said. 

Harry led him to his seat and the rest of us went to sit down at out spots. 

The ceremony began. Mum and Dad walked down the aisle first, Mum sporting a purple dress Ginny and I had picked out for her.

Then Bill and Charlie came, standing tall with their best robes on. Fred and George whistled, while Clarisse gasped in awe.

“Why is their entire family so attractive?” She asked softly.

“Don’t ask me,” I said with a smirk. 

Then the grand moment came. Monsieur Delacour, with his arm outstretched, came down with his daughter who looked absolutely radiant. Gabrielle and Ginny walked behind in beautiful golden dresses. 

Fleur met Bill at the altar, and he smiled at her, his eyes brimming with faint tears.

“This is so cute,” Clarisse said. 

“Ladies and gentleman,” the wizard up front said. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls...” 

Clarisse began to cry.

“Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle...”

Then I noticed Mum and Madame Delacour were sobbing in the front row. Hermione turned to me and she too, had her eyes full of tears.

“...then I declare you bonded for life.”

Of course I cried, although I would never like to admit that.

The dancing began right after, and the instant Bill and Fleur finished their solo dance, George and Clarisse jumped onto the dance floor with the rest of the bubbly guests.

“Hungry?” Fred asked.

“Starving,” I replied.

Instinctively, we both got up and went to the food table, where delicious and culturally varied food awaited.

“They’ve got chicken and mushroom fricasse!” I said excitedly. Fred loaded his plate with so many different things I didn’t even know if he’d ever be able to finish it. 

We went back at sat down at a table with Charlie. There were two empty seats for George and Clarisse and another one for whomsoever pleased to sit there.

“I’m going to get food, save my spot,” Charlie said as he got up. I just nodded. I couldn’t talk anymore, the chicken was already in my mouth.

“I always wanted Charlie to find a nice girl. I reckon he liked this one girl he works with- her name is Arielle,” Fred said.

“We can always try and hook him up with one of the guests here,” I said, peering around and seeing many single French girls waiting for someone to ask them to dance.

“What about that one there with the beige dress? I know her- she’s right about his age,” I said. Fred looked and nodded.

“She looks good. What’s she like?” He asked.

“She loves plants- I mean LOVES them. When she came back to Beauxbatons to talk about her experience in college she said she was studying to be a herbologist,” I said. 

“Charlie likes animals more but that might be a good match nevertheless,” Fred pondered.

“She’s really nice and quiet too, she loves drawing,” I said.

“Sounds like that’s a match for Charlie,” Fred agreed. “Let’s bring her over.”

I got up and went to greet her.

“Hi Myra, remember me?” I asked. Myra’s eyes narrowed.

“I went to Beauxbatons, I’m a lot younger so you may not. Why don’t you sit with us?” I asked. She shrugged and followed me to our table, sitting down just as Charlie came back.

“Who’s this?” He asked, smiling.

“This is Myra. She’s a Beauxbatons alumni,” I said. Charlie shook her hand and Myra blushed. 

Awhile later, they were dancing together.

“You are just making some good couples tonight, aren’t you?” Fred asked.

“Of course,” I said proudly. 

“Has the ferret contacted you?” He asked.

“Nope,” I said sadly.

“I reckon he probably wants to but can’t,” Fred said. I shrugged. 

There was a wooshing sound. A silvery figure of a lynx came into the tent, right in the center of the dance floor.

“Who’s Patronus is that?” I asked.

Then Kingsley’s voice rang out.

“The Ministry has fallen,” it said. “Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.”

Fred looked at me and his eyes widened. People began to scream. 

Immediately I got up and ran over to where Harry and Ron were. 

A jet of light almost hit me and when I dodged it I stumbled forward, falling on the ground. Several people trampled over me and I struggled to get up as I felt a foot hit me hard on the mouth. I gripped onto a table and got up, hunched down and running to the boys. 

Hermione rushed forward and grabbed all of our hands, turning on the spot. 

It was almost like we hadn’t left the wedding because wherever we were, we were surrounded by people again.

“Where are we?” Ron asked.

“Tottenham Court Road,” Hermione said out of breath. “Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere to change.”

She took out a little bag and handed it to me. I nodded and pocketed it. Then she gasped.

“Jules you’re bleeding!” She said.

“I got trampled,” I said, pushing the boys into an alleyway.

“We haven’t got anything to change into,” Ron said.

“We’ve got the clothes- and the Invisibility Cloak- in these little bags,” I said. 

“How the ruddy hell?” Harry asked. 

“Undetectable Extension Charm,” Hermione said. “Jules and I figured it out, I managed to fit all the clothes in here and Jules has the books.”

“When did you do this?” Ron asked as he and Harry began to change. 

“I told you at the Burrow, we’ve had the essentials packed for days,” Hermione said.

“Good thing too, because it worked for a quick getaway,” I said, wiping my mouth on my sleeve. 

“Jules let me see,” Hermione said, grabbing my mouth. She pried it open and looked inside.

“Looks like they broke one of your teeth back there,” she mumbled. 

“It’s fine-“

“Episkey!”

I screamed so loudly from the pain that I could’ve woken the whole city, except Hermione cast a Silencing Charm on me. Then she waved her wand and undid it. 

I grabbed the Invisibility Cloak and draped it over me and I took my dress off and put on my pants and a sweater. The pants were too loose, so I put on my jacket with all the vials inside and took out one with a yellow liquid. I let a drop fall on my tongue and closed it. That would restore my original body so I could fit into the pants. 

I handed the cloak back to Harry so he could hide. 

“What about everyone at the party?” Harry asked worriedly.

“We can’t worry about that now,” I said, my mouth sore. “We can’t go back, it’s too dangerous. They’ll be fine, most of the Order was there.”

“Yes she’s right. I think we ought to keep moving,” Hermione said. 

We continued to walk past a group of drunk men that smelled like cow manure.

“Why Tottenham Court Road?” I asked curiously, trying to ignore the smell.

“No idea, it just popped into my head. I’m sure it’s safer here in the Muggle world,” Hermione said.

“I feel so exposed here,” I mumbled.

“What else is there?” Hermione asked. “We can’t book a room in the Leaky Cauldron. I suppose Grimmauld Place is out if Snape can get in there...we can try my parents house...”

“All right, darlings?” One of men yelled. “You’re pretty.”

He got up and grabbed me, wheeling me around to face him. His hand grabbed me right below the waist. Instinctively my hand flew into my pocket for my wand.

“Jules let’s go,” Hermione said, pressing my hand into my pocket so I couldn’t extract my wand.

“Jules, eh?” The man asked. “Pretty name too...”

“Suck a testicle,” I snarled as I stomped on his foot and stormed away to follow Hermione and Ron. The man grabbed me and I wheeled around and gripped him by the throat.

“I could kill you with one drop of a substance I have in my pocket,” I snapped. “Do. Not. Test. Me.” 

I released him and he scoffed, going to join his friends.

“Be careful Jules you can’t be attacking Muggles,” Hermione hissed.

I just cursed under my breath.

We walked into a cafe and I had to sit with my back to the door, which made me feel really uncomfortable. 

“You know we’re not far from the Leaky Cauldron here,” Ron said. “It’s only in Charing Cross-“

“Ron we can’t!” Hermione said. 

“Not to stay there, but to find out what’s going on!” He protested.

“We know what’s going on!” Harry hissed from under the Invisibility Cloak. “Voldemort’s taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?” 

There was silence. I sighed loudly and ordered coffee for everyone. 

“I say we find a quiet place to Disapparate and head for the countryside or something. Then we can message the Order,” I said.

“Can you do the talking Patronus thing?” Ron asked.

“Yes and Hermione can too,” I said. 

“As long as it doesn’t get them into trouble, though they might’ve been arrested already,” Ron said. “God that’s revolting.” 

He stirred the coffee and made a face. 

I noticed two workmen sitting at the counter. One of them kept turning. 

I peered closer at the one who didn’t turn. He looked familiar...

The two men and I shot up at the same time, wands drawn.

“Jules!” Hermione said, then suddenly realizing what was going on.

“Stupefy!” I screamed. 

The Death Eater that’d kept turning flew back and hit the wall, crumpling to the ground. 

Dolohov snarled and fired a spell at Ron, binding him in black ropes. 

The waitress screamed and ran for the door.

“Stupefy!” Harry screamed, sending a spell at Dolohov that accidentally rebounded on the window and hit the waitress.

“Expulso!” Dolohov growled.

The table I was near exploded and hit me, throwing me across the room and making me collide forcefully with the window, which broke and promptly left me on the floor outside on the hard floor. Luckily no Muggles were on this street. 

I gasped when I tried to get up, pulling out a piece of glass lodged in my leg and in my arm. I felt around my body and pulled out more shards, one having lodged into my neck. When I pulled it out I groaned loudly and tried to get up. My right leg wasn’t responding. 

“Jules!” Hermione screamed, coming out and extending her arm to me.

“Hermione I can’t feel my right leg at all,” I said, showing her the cut on my neck. 

“Jules I think that cut a nerve,” she gasped. “Harry! Ron!”

The boys exited the cafe.

“Jules leg is paralyzed,” Hermione said, tears brimming in her eyes. Harry came forward and gripped my shoulders, lifting me up. I gasped as my leg flopped to the side. I put my arm around his shoulders and limped forward into the cafe, my paralyzed leg dragging alongside my good leg.

“Lock the door,” Harry told Hermione. “And Ron turn out the lights.” 

He helped me to a chair where I sat down.

I reached into my pocket and took out two vials, one blue and one orange. I handed them to Harry.

“Pour a bit of the orange one right into the wound,” I said. “When it stops bubbling pour in the blue one.” 

Harry did as I told him and soon the feeling in my leg returned. I got up and slowly took a few steps. I put the vials back into my pocket. 

“What do we do with them?” I asked Harry, looking at the unconscious Dolohov and the other Death Eater. “I’d like to kill Dolohov.”

“Just wipe their memories,” Harry said. “It’s better like that, it’ll throw them off the scent. If we killed them it’d be obvious we were here.”

“You’re the boss,” Ron said. “But I’ve never done a Memory Charm.” 

“I know the theory,” I said. “I’ll do it.”

I walked over to where the Death Eaters were and pressed my wand on Dolohov’s head.

“Obliviate,” I said, concentrating. Dolohov woke up but looked dazed. I repeated the process on the other Death Eater, then walked over and did the same to the waitress. 

“Let’s clear up then,” Harry said.

“Why?” Ron asked.

“Don’t you think they’ll wonder what happened if they wake up in a place that looks like it was bombed?” Harry asked.

“Right,” Ron said. He and Harry restored the cafe. When it was done, Hermione and I hauled the Death Eaters into a booth like they were facing each other, and inserted a menu into their hands. I propped the waitress up by the counter. 

“How did they find us?” Hermione mumbled, staring at the men. “How did they know where we were?”

“You don’t reckon you’ve still got the Trace on you, do you, Harry?” I asked.

“That’s impossible, it breaks at seventeen. That’s Wizarding law,” Ron said. “You can’t put it on an adult.”

“What if I gave up our position?” Harry asked. “Maybe-“

“We’re not splitting up so don’t say anything,” I said harshly. 

“Fine,” Harry said.

“We need a safe place to hide,” Ron said. “Let’s think this through.”

“We could go to my old house here in England. I only used it for about a week before I came to Hogwarts and maybe my mum for two months for Sirius’s trial. Then she went back to live in France with him,” I said.

“No, Grimmauld Place,” Harry said firmly.

“Don’t be silly Harry, Snape can get in there!” Hermione said.

“Ron’s dad said they’ve put up jinxes against him,” Harry said. “And even if they haven’t worked, so what? I swear I’d like nothing better than to meet Snape!”

My stomach flipped. Thanks Dumbledore, for forbidding me from telling Harry the truth.

“But-“ Hermione began. Then she relunctantly grabbed Ron’s arm.

“I got Harry,” I said. “Front of the house.” 

Hermione nodded and Disapparated. I took Harry next. 

We both arrived at the same time, and scurried forward. I continuously kept looking back hoping we weren’t being followed. 

Harry tapped the front door with his wand. The door swung open. 

“So where are the jinxes put up against Snape?” I asked, stepping forward. 

“Severus Snape?” Moody’s voice asked.

“We’re not Snape!” I screamed, jumping back. Suddenly my tongue was tied. I panicked and started fumbling in my pocket for a vial but then my tongue unraveled. 

A ghostlike, scary skeletal representation of Dumbledore rose from the carpet. Hermione and I screamed and grabbed onto each other, which let to Mrs Black’s portrait screeching as well.

”No!” We didn’t kill you!” Harry shouted. 

The figure exploded into a cloud of dust. 

“MUDBLOODS! FILTH! STAINS OF DISHONOR! TAINT OF SHAME ON THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS-“

“SHUT UP!” Harry roared, closing the curtains with his wand.

”Homenum Revelio,” I mumbled. Nothing happened. We were alone. 

Harry gasped and touched his scar.

“He’s angry,” he said.

“Oh Harry! I thought that connected had closed!” Hermione said. 

“It did for awhile,” Harry said. “I-I think it’s started opening again whenever he loses control. That’s how it used to-“

“But then you’ve got to close your mind!” Hermione said sharply. “This is why you took Occlumency! He can plant false images in your mind, remember-“

“Yeah I do remember, thanks,” Harry said. He turned away, and began to walk into the living room. I followed him.

“Harry she’s just worried, she doesn’t understand it,” I said. 

Harry sighed loudly. Hermione shrieked from the other room. Harry and I rushed over, just as a weasel Patronus materialized in front of us.

“Family safe. Don’t reply. We’re being watched,” Dad’s voice said.

I squealed with delight as Ron dropped onto the sofa, Hermione sitting next to him and hugging him.

“They’re all right,” I whispered. 

There was a silence.

“I don’t want to be on my own,” Hermione said. “Could we use the sleeping bags Jules and I brought and camp in here tonight?”

“Sure,” I said. Harry darted out of the room, with a faint sound of “Bathroom” escaping his mouth. I frowned and took out my bag, extracting the sleeping bags the books were wrapped in. 

I extended them out across the floor. Hermione’s went on the couch and Ron’s on the floor under it. I set mine and Harry’s up nearby them, on the floor. 

Harry came down awhile later, looking like his headache had gone away. 

I went into the kitchen and prepared some hot chocolate then came back with mugs to give to everyone. 

We drank in silence. My heart was thumping fast. I was nervous. 

I curled up into my sleeping bag and hugged the pillow. 

I fell asleep instantly.


	44. Chapter 44

I was sitting on Sirius’ bed, staring at the ceiling, when Harry came in. 

“Jules,” he said, sounding startled. “I was wondering where you’d gone.”

“I wanted to come see this,” I said. “Look, Gryffindor banners everywhere. Permanent Sticking Charms. Motorcycles, Muggle girls in bikinis, and a picture of the Marauders.”

“Marauders?” Harry asked, coming closer. I pointed to Sirius, standing next to Harry’s dad.

“If he hadn’t fallen through the veil, I could’ve brought him back,” I whispered. 

“I don’t think he’d have wanted to come back,” Harry said. I sighed.

“When Draco was dead,” I said, looking at Harry cautiously, “he saw my dad.”

“What?” Harry asked. “You’re sure?”

“He described someone who looked like my dad coming to hug him, saying thank you,” I said. “What if Sirius is there with my parents and yours?”

“That’d be awkward,” Harry said. “Sirius and your mum were going on weren’t they?”

“I suppose they were,” I said. “But I know my dad would understand. Fifteen years of my mum living alone, she couldn’t help liking Sirius.”

Harry walked around the room, picking papers up from the floor. 

“Look, a letter to Sirius,” Harry said. I looked it over.

“It’s your mum’s writing,” I said. “You have identical g’s and p’s.” 

“I’d never seen anything with her writing before,” Harry said. 

“Wonder why Dumbledore needed your dad’s cloak. Even I can become Invisible with just a spell, if I tried hard enough,” I said. 

“I wonder what the rest of the letter said,” Harry mumbled.

I looked in the cupboards and found a picture of baby Harry zooming around on a broom. 

I walked around the house a little more, checking more drawers. 

I found a picture of Sirius with a boy and a girl who looked familiar. 

“Look Harry, it’s your mum and dad,” I said, handing him the picture. Harry smiled as he took it in his hand, tucking it in his pocket. 

“Harry! Jules!” I heard a voice call.

“In here Hermione,” I replied. She burst in.

“We didn’t know where you were!” She exclaimed. “Ron! I’ve found them!”

“Good! Tell them they’re gits!” Ron called up. I laughed.

“We just came to explore,” I said. Harry showed her the letter and the picture.

”We can’t find the rest of the letter,” I said sadly. Hermione looked around the room.

“Don’t tell me you made all this mess,” she said.

“We didn’t, it was here,” I said. 

“Apparently my parents knew Bathilda Bagshot. She’s still alive, living in Godric’s Hollow,” Harry said.

”We can visit Godric’s Hollow later to talk to her,” Hermione said. “In the meantime, let’s go have breakfast.” 

As we were walking out of the room I stopped them.

“I explored the house before coming into Sirius’ room,” I said. “And I found something interesting.”

I led them to a room down the hallway. The door read “Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black.”

Hermione gasped.

“RAB!” She exclaimed. 

“Sirius’ brother,” I said. Harry nodded. 

“He was a Death Eater,” he said. “Sirius told me about him. He joined up when he was really young and then got cold feet and tried to leave- so they killed him.”

“That fits with everything- Ron! Get up here quick!” Hermione said. We heard Ron’s footsteps echoing as they came full speed upstairs.

“What’s up?” He asked, breathless. “If it’s massive spiders again I want breakfast before I-“

He looked at the sign.

“RAB,” he mumbled.

“Alohomora,” I said, pushing the door open. 

The room was as nice as Sirius’ but it had Slytherin colors all over it. The Black family crest was even painted on the wall. There were newspaper cuttings all over the wall, involving Voldemort and Death Eaters.

“He was a Seeker,” Harry said, pointing at a picture. I walked over and looked.

“Is that why he’s in the middle?” I asked. Harry nodded. 

“What?” Hermione asked. I turned and realized she and Ron weren’t paying attention to what Harry had said. 

“Accio Locket!” Hermione said. Nothing happened.

“Maybe there’s a charm so it can’t be summoned,” I said glumly.

“How do we find it then?” Ron asked.

“We look,” I sighed. 

We didn’t even go down for breakfast until much later and we still didn’t even find the locket.

“I hope this means Regulus already destroyed the locket,” I said miserably. “Maybe he even hid it here and it’s just somewhere else.”

Hermione gasped loudly.

“There WAS a locket,” she remembered. “In the cabinet in the drawing room. Nobody could open it.” 

“Well Kreacher nicked loads of things back from us. He had a whole stash of stuff in his cupboard in the kitchen,” Harry said.

Since the kitchen was out next stop, I whipped up a quick breakfast of french toast and orange juice before we went to search. 

Of course we found nothing, so Harry called upon Kreacher.

“Master,” Kreacher croaked as he appeared before us. “Back in my Mistress’s old house with the blood traitor Weasley and the girlfriend of my Mistress’s great nephew...and the Mudblood-“

“I forbid you to call anyone blood traitor or Mudblood,” Harry snarled. 

Kreacher stared at us loathefully, me a little less than everyone else.

“We’ve got a question for you,” Harry stated. “And I order you to answer it truthfully. Understand?”

“Yes Master,” Kreacher said, bowing low and muttering some foul things under his breath.

“Two years ago there was a big gold locket in the drawing room upstairs,” Harry said. “We threw it out. Did you steal it back?”

“Yes,” Kreacher said. “It’s gone...”

“What do you mean it’s gone?” Harry snarled.

“Mundungus Fletcher!” Kreacher said. “He stole it all: Miss Bella’s and Miss Cissy’s pictures, my Mistress’s gloves, the Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest and-and,” he gasped loudly, “Master Regulus’s locket! Kreacher failed in his orders!”

Kreacher went to grab the poker from the fire to hurt himself. I dove in front of him and he tried to fight me put I moved the poker away.

“Kreacher I order you to stay still!” Harry said sharply. “How do you know Mundungus Fletcher stole the locket?”

“Kreacher saw him!” The elf wailed, “Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher’s cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher’s treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and ran!”

“You called the locket Master Regulus’s,” Harry recalled. “What did Regulus have to do with it?”

“A year after Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord, he came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. He said...he said the Dark Lord required an elf,” Kreacher said, his voice shaky.

“An elf?” I asked.

“Oh yes. And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher!” He gasped. “It was an honor, said Master Regulus, an honor for him and for Kreacher, who must be sure to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do, then come home.”

“So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher what they were to do, but took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea,” Kreacher said. I remembered the place Harry had described. The place he’d gone to find the fake locket. “And beyond the cabe there was a cavern, and in the cavern a great black lake...there was a boat...a basin full of potion on the island. The Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it...Kreacher drank. He saw terrible things, Kreacher’s inside’s burned...Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed. He made Kreacher drink all the potion. He dropped a locket into the empty basin...then he filled it with more potion. And then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island.”

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how painful that experience must’ve been. What substance had Voldemort created that was so powerful? 

“Kreacher needed water,” he continued. “He crawled to the island’s edge and drank from the black lake...and hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under the surface...”

“How did you get away?” I asked softly.

“Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back,” he said. I nodded but Harry didn’t seem to understand.

“But how did you escape the Inferi?”

“Harry, he just Disapparated when Regulus called,” I said.

“But how?” He asked. “Dumbledore and I couldn’t Apparate in and out-“

“Elf magic is more complex. They can even Disapparate in and out of Hogwarts,” I said. Harry nodded, turning back to Kreacher.

“So what happened when you got back?” Harry asked. “What did Regulus say when you’d said what happened?”

Kreacher gulped, looking extremely depressed.

“Master Regulus was very worried. Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house,” Kreacher said. He swallowed hard. “And then a little while later, Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind. He asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cabe where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord...”

Hermione sniffled.

“And he made you drink the potion?” Harry asked almost angrily. Kreacher shook his head.

“Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had,” he said. “And he told Kreacher to take it and when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets.”

Kreacher sobbed loudly. I made a rag appear and handed it to him. He stared at me then continued his story.

“And he ordered Kreacher to leave, without him. And for Kreacher to never tell my Mistress what he’d done...but to destroy the first locket. And Master Regulus drank all the potion...Kreacher swapped the lockets and watched as Master Regulus was dragged beneath the water and...”

“Oh Kreacher!” Hermione wailed as she flung herself to his level to try and hug him. He cringed and backed away from her. 

“The Mudblood touched Kreacher, he will not allow it, what would his Mistress say?” He snarled.

“I told you not to call her Mudblood!” Harry snapped. Kreacher rushed forward and reached for the poker and began to bang himself on the head. I seized it and shook it from his grasp.

“Kreacher, stop!” I said, taking the poker away and levitating it onto a shelf. 

Kreacher just snorted and coughed. 

“So you brought the locket home,” I said slowly. “And tried to destroy it?”

“Nothing Kreacher did made any mark on it!” He said. “Kreacher tried everything he knew, but nothing would work! So many powerful spells, Kreacher was sure to destroy it Kreacher needed to get inside it, but it wouldn’t open. Kreacher punished himself, then tried again, then punished himself...Kreacher failed orders! Kreacher could not destroy the locket! And his Mistress was mad with grief, because Master Regulus had disappeared, and Kreacher could not tell her what had happened, no, because Master Regulus had forbidden him to tell the family what happened in the cave!”

He blew his nose on the rag I’d given him. Hermione was crying even more but she didn’t dare try and touch him anymore. 

“Kreacher I’m going to ask you to do something,” Harry said. “I want you to please go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where the locket is. It’s really important.”

Kreacher looked up at him. 

“We want to finish the work Master Regulus started,” I said. Kreacher looked at me with wide eyes. “We want to ensure he didn’t die in vain.”

“Find Mundungus Fletcher?” Kreacher croaked.

“Yes and bring him here to Grimmauld Place. Do you think you could do that for us?” Harry asked.

Kreacher nodded. I nudged Harry.

“What, Jules?” He asked. 

“Do something nice, cmon,” I urged. Harry took the fake locket out.

“Kreacher, I’d er- like you to have this,” Harry said. “This belonged to Regulus and I’m sure he’d want you to have it as a token of gratitude for what you-“

Kreacher threw himself to his knees and wailed gratefully, clutching the fake locket to his heart. 

Later he thanked Harry profusely and bowed to all of us (even almost to Hermione).

Before leaving to find Mundungus Fletcher, I brewed him a special tea to restore many of his strengths. Although he did not look younger he looked physically stronger and his voice was no longer a croak. With a crack he left.

”I think he might be nicer to us now,” Hermione said. 

“Definitely, did you hear how many times he says ‘Kreacher thanks Master?’ It gave me a headache,” Ron said. 

“Poor Kreacher, he just needs someone to be nice to him,” I said. “Sirius must’ve been so awful to him, I’m sure Bellatrix and Narcissa were lovely to him.”

The trio stared at me with confusion.

“What?” Ron asked.

“Miss Bella and Miss Cissy!” I said. “Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy! Draco told me they call them Bella and Cissy. They were relatives.”

“No I know that, but LOVELY?” Ron asked. “They’re awful people!”

“Bellatrix is evil yes there’s no denying that,” I admitted. “But Draco’s mother is quite nice.” 

Hermione shrugged but Ron rolled his eyes.

“I still can’t believe you ended up dating Malfoy. Of all people!” Ron said.

“Well how did you end up dating Lavender? She was the most annoying girl I’ve ever met,” I said. Ron just turned scarlet and mumbled something and left. 

Hermione simply looked at me and smirked proudly.


	45. Chapter 45

Death Eaters seemed to be stalking the place night and day because every single time I looked out the window there was another person just lurking about. They didn’t even bother to dress in Muggle clothes to blend in, and that really bothered me. 

I’d become a better cook and now was preparing better meals, although the boys ate so much I had to go shopping quite often, which meant my elaborate disguise to look just like Clarisse. 

One night I was cooking some alphabet soup when someone arrived. Hermione and Ron darted toward the door but I stayed behind. 

Lupin walked in a little later.

“Something smells delicious,” he said, inhaling the scent coming from the pot before me.

“Just alphabet soup tonight,” I said a bit sadly since we’d just run out of the meatball soup I’d made two days ago. “Would you like some?”

“Yes please I’m famished,” he said. I served five plates and we sat down at the table.

“I’d have been here three days ago but I needed to shake off the Death Eater tailing me,” Lupin said. 

“You should disguise yourself as another person,” I said. “Just a Concealment and Skin Charm.”

“That’s a good idea,” Lupin said. “Have you been going out?”

“Yep, to the store every other day usually. We finish food like crazy in here. I’ve been going out dressed as Clarisse in Muggle clothes all the way to France,” I said. Hermione choked on the soup.

“You didn’t tell us you were going all the way to France!” She exclaimed.

“Well I know those stores well enough to Apparate into them,” I said. “I don’t know any of the stores here.”

“Well that’s one way to avoid Death Eaters,” Lupin said, sipping from the bowl. “So did you come straight here after the wedding?”

“No,” Harry said. “Only after we ran into a couple Death Eaters in a cafe on Tottenham Court Road.”

Lupin’s spoon clanged against the edge of the bowl, making me jump.

“What?” He gasped. “How did they find you so quickly?”

“No idea,” I said. “I wondered if Harry might still have the Trace on him but we ruled that as impossible.”

“And it is, they can’t have found him any other way. This is worrying, really worrying,” Lupin said.

“Tell us what happened after we left, we haven’t heard a thing since Ron’s dad told us the family was safe,” Harry said.

“Kingsley’s warning was right on time. Many people were able to Disapparate right away,” Lupin said, taking another spoonful of soup. “Ministry people and Death Eaters alike, but they didn’t know you were there Harry. Arthur heard a rumor that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before killing him. If that’s so- then he didn’t give you away.”

“Well turns out that bloke died doing a noble deed,” I said scathingly.

“What else happened?” Hermione asked worriedly.

“They searched the Burrow top to bottom, even found the ghoul. They wanted to get information about Harry but of course only the Order knew you had been there,” Lupin said, playing around with the letters in the soup. “They’ve been forcing themselves into Order connected houses. Nobody’s dead but they were rough.”

“So the Death Eaters have got the full power of the Ministry,” I stated grimly. “Which means now they can break any law without fearing punishment. Just great.” 

“Exactly,” Lupin agreed. “Naturally many know what happened. They assume Voldemort must be behind the dramatic changes in Ministry policy. No one knows who to trust, Voldemort is playing a very clever game. He’s declared himself while remaining masked.”

I huffed loudly. 

“I expect now the Ministry has begun a purge on all those they deem undesirable in society,” I said. “They’ve adopted fascist ideals.”

“Naturally,” Lupin sighed. “They’re putting Muggleborns on trial to root out whether they are truly wizards. They have to prove they have Wizard ancestry.”

“But that’s illegal! The Ministry’s law states that they can’t purge against people for their blood status!” I cried.

“In France, yes. But not here. The Ministry’s corruption over the years has reached a level where that law hasn’t existed in decades. Even so they could just repeal it,” Lupin said.

“What if purebloods and halfbloods swear a Muggle born’s part of their family?” Ron asked. “I’ll tell everyone Hermione’s my cousin-“ 

Hermione’s hand flew to touch his and squeeze it. I saw Harry look sad.

“Thank you Ron but I couldn’t let you-“

“You won’t have a choice,” Ron said firmly, gripping her hand tightly. “I’ll teach you my family tree so you can answer questions on it.”

“What about Hogwarts?” I cut in. “Has Voldemort got specific plans for it?” 

“Yes. Attendance is now mandatory. Several kids were pulled out of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang because they regionally belong to Hogwarts. He’s making sure he has the whole Wizarding population under his eye from a young age. He’s also finding Muggleborns like that, he’s making them prove they are of wizard descent before they can attend Hogwarts.”

I hissed. 

Lupin finished his soup and handed me the bowl. I took it to the sink and almost cracked it from how forcefully I dropped it in.

“Can you confide in me what the mission is?” Lupin asked hopefully.

“I can’t, Remus, I’m sorry. If Dumbledore didn’t tell you then I don’t think I can,” Harry answered. I went back to sit at the table.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Lupin sighed. “But I might still be of some use to you. You know what I am and what I can do. I could come with you to provide protection. There would be no need to tell me exactly what you’re up to.”

I looked at Harry and shrugged. Lupin made a valid point, and he could be useful to us. Harry nodded and seemed ready to say yes when Hermione spoke up.

“What about Tonks? You’re married! How does she feel about you going away with us?” She asked.

“Tonks will be perfectly safe. She’ll be at her parents’ house,” Lupin assured her.

“Sounds reasonable,” I said. “I’d say you get clothes ready and join-“

“Remus,” Hermione said, interrupting me. “Is everything alright between you two?”

“Everything is fine, thank you,” Lupin replied. Then hesitating, he added “Tonks is going to have a baby.”

“That’s wonderful!” I said. 

“A baby!” Hermione squealed.

“Congrats,” Harry said, shaking his hand.

“That really is excellent,” Ron noted. Lupin smiled wryly. 

“So do you accept my offer? Will four become five?” He asked.

“Wait,” Harry said. “Just to be clear, you want to leave Tonks at her parents’ house and come away with us?”

“She’ll be safe, they’ll look after her,” Lupin said. “Harry I’m sure James would have wanted me to stick with you.” 

Harry shook his head and my stomach did a flip.

“I’m not,” Harry said. “I’m sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren’t sticking with your kid, actually.”

The tension in the room was so high I wanted to just have Harry and Lupin get a far away from each other as possible before it got worse.

“You don’t understand,” Lupin said. 

“Explain then,” Harry demanded. 

Hermione looked between them nervously.

“I-I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgement and I have regretted it very much every since,” Lupin said. I was outraged.

“How could you marry her then? What made you so against it?” I snapped.

“She deserved someone better, someone younger, and I-I’m a werewolf with NOTHING to give her,” Lupin said.

“She loves you! And you love her too! She doesn’t care how rich you are or what disabilities you have, she wanted to marry you for being you!” I exclaimed. 

“Exactly,” Harry said. “And now you just want to dump her and the kid and run off with us?”

Lupin and Harry both stood up so fast they spilled the soup on the floor.

“Oh now look what you’ve done,” I said angrily as I waved my wand to clean up the soup. Lupin stared coldly at Harry.

“Do you understand what I’ve done to my wife and unborn child?” Lupin asked slowly and menacingly. “I’ve made her an outcast!” I scoffed.

“She doesn’t care, Remus! You’re genuinely a good person that she liked a lot!” I said. “You think she cares that you’re a werewolf? No! She loves you even with that clinging onto your very being!” 

Lupin kicked his chair aside.

“Stop it!” I cried as I stood the chair up. “Stop messing everything up!” 

“You don’t know how most of the Wizarding world sees creatures like me. When they know of my affliction, they can barely talk to me!” Lupin snapped. “Don’t you see what I’ve done? Even her own family is digusted by our marriage, what parents want their only daughter to marry a werewolf?”

“They know she’s happy with you! And they also know you’re a good person!” I snapped. Lupin shook his head and stomped on the floor, making a glass on the table crash to the floor.

“For the love of Merlin!” I snapped as I fixed the glass. Lupin just breathed heavily. 

“And the child, the poor child...” he gasped. “My kind don’t usually breed! It will be like me, I’m sure of it-“

“That’s not true!” I spat. “Werewolves breeding with humans equals non werewolf children because your genes are recessive compared to those of a human!” 

Lupin stared at me.

“That child would still be better off without a father of whom it must always be ashamed!” He said.

“Remus!” Hermione shrieked. “Don’t say that, how could any child be ashamed of you?”

“Oh I don’t know Hermione,” Harry said. “I’d be pretty ashamed.” 

“Harry!” I cried.

“How dare you?” Lupin snapped. “This is not about a desire for danger or personal glory! How dare you suggest-“

“I think you’re feeling a but of a daredevil,” Harry said fiercely. “You fancy stepping into Sirius’ shoes-“

“Harry no!” Hermione wailed. Harry advanced closer to Lupin. I rushed in front of Lupin and shielded him.

“Harry calm down-“

“I’d have never believed this!” Harry spat. “The man who taught me to fight dementors...a coward.”

Lupin cast a spell on Harry that shot him back across the kitchen. I screamed.

“Remus don’t leave please come back!” I cried, running after him as he stormed out the front door.

“Harry!” I heard Hermione scream. “How could you?”

I went back and saw Harry getting up angrily.

“It was easy,” he snapped. I stared at him angrily and Hermione huffed. “Don’t look at me like that!” 

“Don’t you start on them!” Ron snarled.

“You didn’t have to be so insensitive Harry! You have to understand he’s not ready to be a father!” I said.

“Yeah but he’s ready to be a jerk-“ 

“Shut up! SHUT UP!” I snarled, stomping my foot on the ground. Everyone was silent.

“I don’t risk my life ALL THE TIME for you to act like that with people that are basically our family!” I spat. “I didn’t agree with his plan but I didn’t insult the daylights out of him! He wanted to help and you just made him feel even worse!”

“It’s not my fault he’s prepared to be a shitty father!”

“And I think he should stay with his kid of course but we could have easily said no to his proposal because we wanted to keep it between us! You had NO RIGHT to tell him all those things!” 

“How else would he learn that what he was doing was wrong? I bet you just loved living without a father if you’re trying to defend him-“

Harry realized what he’d said and he stopped midsentence. Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth.

“That was bang out of line mate,” Ron said angrily. I felt tears brimming in my eyes. 

“Yes of course, I must’ve adored growing up without a father, Harry!” I said sarcastically. “I loved growing up with only a mother who was never home! I loved having only one picture to ever look at of him! I love that my BOYFRIEND- who you KILLED- got to meet him and I didn’t! Both of my parents died to help save YOUR life Harry! You should think about that before saying something like that. You don’t see me saying you enjoyed growing up an orphan.”

I slammed the bowl of soup onto the floor and turned away, snatching my jacket from the chair before storming out the door.

“Jules!” Hermione wailed. 

I didn’t listen. I went to the front step and Apparated away to my mother’s house in France. 

Harry was so impulsive and temperamental sometimes! I was trying to convince Remus not to leave his child behind and he’d had the nerve to make Remus leave and tell me I supported him leaving his child since I had never known what paternal love was. What a prick. 

The house was so empty it made me feel more angry. I walked into the hall and flipped on the lights. 

The house was now glowing with a beautiful light. Oh how I missed this place...

I became aware of the fact that I had not been here in right about exactly 2 years. Two years of not sleeping in the bed that was mine, two years of not staying up late to read with my mum. 

I was desperate. The house was so lonely, and I wanted company. 

I dared do it, even though it could get me killed. 

“Expecto Patronum!” I said. The silvery panda burst out and stood in the hall before me.

”Find Draco Malfoy. And tell him this: I need you right now. Come alone, if you can. 17754 Dijon Village.”


	46. Chapter 46

It was probably around 11pm when there was a knock at the door. 

I was in my old room, cleaning and organizing. I finished up what I was doing and went downstairs, checking through the peephole. Draco was there, alone.

I opened the door slowly and pulled him in, locking the door behind him. Before he could say anything I cast a series of spells to make the place impenetrable by outside forces. I did not want to risk Draco bringing company. 

When I finished I turned around to face him. He looked exhausted, with bags under his eyes. He was thinner, and his hair a little messier than usual. He looked sad. 

“How are you?” I whispered. He smiled grimly.

“I’ve been alright. You’re lucky that only I was home,” he said. He came closer and touched my face.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“I’m just overwhelmed,” I said. “I needed to see you again. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah I am,” he said, taking his jacket off and hanging it by the door.

“By when do you need to return?” I asked, leading him to the kitchen.

“I can stay here all day tomorrow if you’d like, they don’t really care where I go,” Draco said. I shrugged.

“I’m not saying you have to but...I’d like you to,” I said. He smiled and wrapped his arms around me, turning me to look him in the eyes. 

“You look beautiful,” he breathed. “And I missed you so damn much.” 

Before I knew it he had pressed his lips on mine passionately and picked me up, grabbing me from the hips. I wrapped my arms around his head and ran my fingers through his hair as my legs wrapped around his waist. He groaned and pushed me up against a wall, disconnecting from my lips to kiss my neck.

“Aren’t you hungry?” I mumbled.

“Hungry for you,” Draco groaned as he pressed another hard kiss on my neck. “I’ve been starving, wishing upon everything that I’d see you again. I’ve been so worried.” 

His hands trailed further down so he was holding me by my butt. He lifted me higher and trailed kisses up to my mouth where he slipped his tongue inside and pressed it against mine.

He disconnected and put me down, kissing my forehead lightly. 

“I am actually hungry though, what’ve you got?” He asked, licking his lips. 

“I have alphabet soup,” I said sadly. He shrugged.

“As long as I get to be with you I don’t care what it is,” he said. I smiled and led him to the table where I served him a bowl of soup. 

“I don’t know if I’m allowed to ask, but what have you been doing?” Draco asked.

“Planning the wedding all summer,” I said. “After that I can’t reveal anything.” 

“Have you been eating alright? Sleeping well?” He asked. 

“I’ve been eating fine. Sleep is difficult to come by, I’m overthinking a lot at night so I simply can’t fall asleep,” I said. Draco looked m up and down and frowned.

“You’ve also gotten skinnier and paler,” he said. “What the hell has been stressing you out so much?”

“Everything,” I mumbled. “Just stuff...and I’ve been worried sick about you for months. I didn’t even know if you were still alive.”

“I was worried about that too,” Draco said. “When the Ministry was infiltrated they found out that you’d supposedly gone to America. I thought it was a cover story for them murdering you. They’ve been doing that often.” 

“That’s just to hide for now,” I admitted. “I don’t know what else to do.”

”Well for now just try and lay low for awhile,” he said. “The Death Eaters are searching for Harry like crazy, questioning for his whereabouts from everyone.”

”I won’t admit to knowing where he is,” I said, thinking angrily about the events from earlier.

”And I won’t worm them out of you. I do know for a fact you’re with him and Weasley and Granger. But I’m not going to make you tell me anything. Even if you did I would never tell anyone.”

”Thank you for that. I don’t even know if I’m returning with them.”

”Have you had a row? Is that why you’re here alone?”

”Harry’s just insensitive.”

”What’s he done?”

”Basically said that I supported someone abandoning their child all because I grew up withoutt a dad. It’s not true but he won’t accept that.”

”I’m not even going to ask how that conversation came about.”

”Yeah, don’t. It’s too much to discuss.” 

“But otherwise- you’re not planning on doing anything too drastic are you?” 

“Erm well, it depends on your DEFINITION of drastic...”

”So you’re going to be in danger for awhile then.”

”Naturally.”

Draco sighed and put his head in his hands.

”You have to understand that you’re unsafe even when you think you could be safe. The Death Eaters have been using abstract and gruesome methods of tracking that I didn’t even know existed. They’re working right now with the Ministry to track Apparitions and Patronus message locations.” 

I felt my blood run cold.

”But they haven’t succeeded, right?”

”Not yet and of course if they do develop a system for that it wouldn’t work to track previous occurrences. But you still need to be careful- try limiting things to ONE Secret Keeper if you can.” 

Thinking about Grimmauld Place made my stomach flip. There were more than 10 of us that knew about it. 10 people to worm information out of.

”But Jules,” Draco said, taking my hand in his, “I’d orefer if you didn’t make yourself a Secret Keeper for anything.”

”Too late,” I mumbled. He looked at me and sighed. 

“Are you ok? Really?” He asked. “You’re physically not ok but what about emotionally? How are you coping?”

”Not well, I’m worried all the time. Constantly sad, angry,” I said. “I’ve been paranoid I’d get caught and I’ve been Apparating all the way here to Dijon or Paris sometimes to buy food because I’m scared to get caught anywhere in England. Even the Muggle world is unsafe now.” 

“As long as you don’t draw attention to yourself,” Draco said. 

“How are Death Eaters tracking people at the moment anyhow?” I asked. “After the wedding we ran into Dolohov and Rowle at a cafe. I obliviated them.” 

“Ah no wonder they were confused about why they ended up there. Wonderful memory charm, Jules. They didn’t have a clue they’d been attacked by you,” Draco said. “And honestly they haven’t told me anything about how they’re tracking people so quickly- I’ve been wondering and asking too. They refuse to tell me. They know about you.”

”What do you mean? That I’m your girlfriend?”

”Yes, essentially,” he said. “I previously had told them if anything I want to kill you myself so they’ll leave you alone but somehow in the past week all the Death Eaters found out about us. The Dark Lord already knew about you.” 

“Does your dad know about us?” I asked quietly. Draco nodded.

”He approves, actually,” he said with a shrug. “I’d assume he’d call you a blood traitor or something but he said you’re a decent pureblood witch with a higher brain capacity than anyone else alive.”

”I’m flattered,” I said with a smile. “I’m glad your parents at least like me.”

”Yeah it’ll make our wedding less tense,” Draco said. I blushed. I didn’t really like to think that far into the future. He smirked.

”When this is over, I WILL marry you. You can count on that,” he said. “And we’ll have a beautiful house with an Alchemy lab for you. You can teach our kids everything you know.”

”So there are kids planned?” I asked with a smirk. 

“Naturally,” he said nonchalantly. “Imagine what geniuses we could have- bearing the Malfoy name with their mother’s brains.” 

“That seems so far away,” I said. “I can’t believe this was really supposed to be our last year at Hogwarts. And then we’d graduate...get jobs...start families.” 

“I’ve decided I’m going to be an Auror,” Draco said. “We can work in the Auror’s office together- unless you’d rather be a Lawyer or an Alchemist. Personally I think you should be the latter because you could develop so many cures and save everyone’s life.” 

“I’d rather be in the action and saving lives at the same time,” I said. “I couldn’t sit in a lab all day, besides Alchemy is still able to be used on the go. I fixed my paralysis- induced by Dolohov of course- on the fly the other-“

”Paralysis?” Draco snarled. “What the bloody hell did he do to you?”

”Oh he made a table knock me through a window and a piece of glass sliced one of my nerves and left me unable to feel my right leg.”

Draco put his head in his hands.

”This is EXACTLY the kind of the thing that stresses me out so much,” he said. “Knowing you’re out there being hurt while I’m unable to do anything about it.”

”You can help by keeping the Death Eaters off our trail. Tell them we’re in Russia or something.”

”I could do that,” he said. He sighed loudly, getting up to put his bowl in the sink. He let it fall with a loud clunk and came to stand behind my chair, leaning down to wrap his arms around me.

”How will I know you’re going to be ok? How will I know if you’re dead or alive?” He whispered in my ear.

”You think with Resurrection Potion in my pocket I will die?” I asked. “Even if I asked not to be revived I know damn well Hermione would pour that down my throat.

”Ah yes the potion,” Draco mumbled. “The Death Eaters want me to whip a batch up. Unfortunately I seem to have conveniently...forgotten...every single step to making it.”

”They don’t need it,” I said. He nodded.

”I agree. You’re lucky I happen to be a skilled Legilimens and Occlumens,” he said. I smiled proudly.

”Would you look at that,” I said. “How talented.”

”And as such I know that you would like nothing more than to get in bed with me right now,” Draco mumbled as he kissed my neck.

”Ah, I’ve been caught,” I said with a smirk, pushing him off gently to take my bowl to the sink. As I dropped it in, Draco’s strong arms wrapped around my waist. 

“I missed you so, so much,” he said. 

“And I missed you too,” I mumbled, turning around and putting my hands on his chest. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

”Shall we?” He asked softly.

”Of course,” I said.

He picked me up gently and carried me bridal style towards my room.

”Which way is it?” He asked when he reached the top of the stairs.

”To the right, third door on the left,” I said.

”This place is enormous, it’s even bigger than Malfoy Manor,” he said. 

“I’m telling you, I’m a descendant of the Houses of Bianchi and Laurent. It does have its benefits,” I said. Draco laughed and carried me into my room, setting me down on the bed.

He took his shirt off, which was a cue for me to do the same. We both stripped until we were in nothing but underwear (and a bra for me of course).

“You’re wearing the locket,” Draco said. I looked down and realized the locket he’d left for me before I’d left Hogwarts was still on me. He smiled and came closer.

”Turn around, I’ll take it off for you,” he said. He took it off me and then opened it, looking inside at the pictures of him and I.

”I knew you’d find it,” he said. 

Then Draco smirked and got on top of me, pressing his hands to cup my face and caress my cheeks. I smiled. 

“I never did get to tell you how amazing that night was,” he said. “I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye.”

He then crashed his lips onto mine, trailing his hands down my sides and resting them on my hips, which he lifted so I had no choice but to wrap my legs around him. He brough them back up and cupped my face in his hands, kissing me more passionately than ever before. I held onto him tightly, not wanting him to be separated from me ever again. He pressed a kiss on my neck and began to kiss the spot even harder. I groaned and hugged him tighter, pressing his body on mine. His hands wrapped around my back and made me shiver. The room had been cold, but the temperature was slowly increasing. Draco’s hands moved lower until they touched the hem of my underwear. He stopped kissing my neck for a moment to look into my eyes. He smiled and his lips met mine again.


	47. Chapter 47

The next morning Draco left, and so did I.

I walked into Grimmauld Place half expecting them to kick me out but luckily my friends are better than that.

“Oh Jules!” Hermione wailed. “We were so worried!”

She ran up and hugged me. Harry looked guiltily from the sofa and Ron came up and hugged me too. 

“Where did you go?” He asked.

“Dijon Village,” I said. “To my mother’s house.”

“It must’ve been awful being there all by yourself!” Hermione exclaimed.

“Draco came, actually,” I said. “I invited him over.”

“What?” Ron asked. “Malfoy went?”

“Yeah, alone too. Told me the Death Eaters are trying to work on tracking Apparitions and Patronuses,” I said. “He doesn’t know why we got caught so quickly by Dolohov and Rowle but the memory charm worked- they didn’t remember anything happening.”

“That somewhat throws the Death Eaters off our trail,” Ron said. I nodded, then I noticed Kreacher was back.

“Oh, Kreacher brought back Mundungus Fletcher,” Hermione said. “You won’t believe who has the locket.”

“Some random person?” I asked hopefully.

“No, our favorite teacher,” Harry said, holding up his hand. I looked down at my own. “I must keep my mouth shut” was faded but there. 

“So what are we going to do?” I asked. 

“Steal it back, obviously,” Harry said. I nodded.

“Will we be ambushing her at her house or the Ministry?”

“The Ministry. We’re planning to use Polyjuice Potion to take the appearance of four Ministry workers so we can get in,” Harry said. I nodded again.

“Sounds like a plan. When are we doing this?” I asked.

“Tomorrow,” Harry said. He looked at me sadly. “I’m sorry for what I said Jules, I didn’t-“

“It’s fine,” I said quickly. “I’m famished, what is there to eat?”

No one spoke up.

“So I’m assuming you all starved last night and this morning because I wasn’t here?” I inquired.

“Well we didn’t have another meal last night even if we did stay up pretty late,” Hermione said. “And we haven’t had breakfast yet. It is barely 7am anyway.”

“Well it’s 8am in France, times are different,” I said. I marched into the kitchen to make some breakfast while everyone else prepared the table and plates. 

We sat down to eat, and when Hermione began expressing her concerns about the mission I started looking at my hand every few minutes.

“We can’t put it off,” Harry said. “It’s time to act.” 

“All right,” Ron said. “Let’s say we go for it tomorrow. I think it should just be me and Harry.” 

“That’s not fair!” I protested. “We all spent weeks observing the entrance for people, so we all deserve to go!”

“It’s one thing hanging around the entrance under the Cloak but this is different,” Ron said. “Hermione’s on the list of Muggle borns who didn’t present themselves for interrogation! And Jules is supposed to be in America with her godmother!”

“And YOU’RE supposed to be dying of spattergroit at the Burrow!” I snapped. 

“If anyone shouldn’t go it’s Harry,” Hermione said. “He’s got a ten thousand Galleon price on his head-“

“Fine I’ll stay here,” Harry said. “Let me know if you ever defeat Voldemort, won’t you?”

I burst out laughing, and Ron and Hermione followed. Harry’s hand then jumped to his scar, and Hermione and I stared at him suspiciously.

* * *

The next morning Hermione and I woke up extra early to prepare all the supplies.

“So I assume you and Draco...you know,” she inquired.

“Of course,” I said. She blushed. 

“Have you and Ron even confessed your feelings for one another yet? It’s obvious,” I said. She shook her head.

“He’s a fool,” I said. “You may have to make the first move.”

“I don’t want to,” she said. “I always do everything first.”

The boys came down minutes later and we handed them their supplies. Kreacher helped me make a good breakfast and before we left promised to have a steak and kidney pie ready for us.

“Thank you Kreacher, you take care now,” I said. He bowed to me and even to Hermione as well. 

“Bless him,” Ron said. “To think I used to fantasize about cutting his head off and sticking it to a wall...”

We arrived at the Ministry at about a quarter to 8. We had to wait quite awhile in a smelly and deserted alleyway for the people to show up. 

The first woman arrived right at 8am. Hermione stunned her and pulled her into the empty theater that was next to the alleyway. 

“Mafalda Hopkirk,” I mumbled.

“What?” Harry asked.

“I know her,” I said. “She’s Mafalda Hopkirk. She’s an assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office.” 

I grabbed her bag and rummaged through it, where I found her identification bag. 

“Take the tokens in her bag,” Ron said, taking the bag from me and handing it to Hermione as she pulled a hair out and popped it into the Polyjuice Potion. 

Hermione drank the Potion and changed into Mafalda’s clothes. 

I took out a vial from my pocket and uncorked it. 

“Drink this, it’ll make the effects of the Polyjuice Potion last three times as long,” I said. She nodded and drank a bit. 

Harry checked his watch.

“We’re running late,” he said. “Mr Magical Maintenance will be here any second.”

We hid under the Invisibility Cloak just as the wizard arrived.

“Oh hello, Mafalda,” he said.

“Hello!” Hermione squeaked. “How are you today?”

“Not very good actually,” he said. Hermione frowned.

“I’m sorry to hear you’re under the weather,” Hermione said. “Here, have a sweet.” 

She handed him one of the candies Fred and George had made. 

“Eh? Oh no thank you-“

“I insist!” Hermione said, aggressively shaking the bag. The wizard looked taken aback and took one reluctantly. Immediately he doubled over and began to vomit. Hermione yanked some hairs from his head. 

“You’d better take the day off! You can’t work in this state!” She shrieked. “I think you ought to go to St Mungo’s and get them to sort you out!”

With a pop the wizard disappeared, leaving vomit all over the floor.

“That was disgusting,” I mumbled as I took the hairs and put them in the potion. I handed it to Ron, who drank it then took a sip of the vial I had in my hand. 

“You’re Reg Carrermole,” I said, reading the name on the back of the blue uniform. 

“Great,” Ron mumbled. 

Next, Hermione gave another Ministry man a pastille that left him having a terrible nosebleed. She came back with his hair and handed it to me. Harry drank up them took a sip from the vial.

The last part of this section of the plan was for me to modify a witch’s memory into thinking she was ill and needed to stay home. 

I waited for the woman to walk past my hiding place before I pressed my wand to the back of her head.

Immediately she stopped and stared forward blankly. I took a hair from her head and cast a spell to duplicate her clothes. Then she disappeared with a pop. I placed the hairs in the potion and drank up both the potion and the substance in the vial. I looked at the woman’s identification and faltered.

I had become Edith Reagan, a woman my mother had mentioned to me before. She worked in the Foreign Affairs office here in Britain. 

“Let’s get going then, see you inside,” I said, grabbing Hermione’s hand and leading her into the bathroom. 

“What are we here for?” She asked.

“You have to flush yourself down the toilet. Have you never been to the Ministry?” I asked. She shook her head. I shrugged.

Seconds later we appeared in the Ministry. We found Harry and Ron quickly and were just about to enter a lift when an angry voice yelled “Cattermole!”

I whipped around with Ron and saw the Death Eater Corban Yaxley striding towards us angrily.

“Good morning Corban,” I said pleasantly. To my surprise, he smiled wryly and grabbed my hand, kissing it.

“I’m sorry I had to leave early last night,” he said. “Work issue.”

“It’s fine,” I said quickly. I was flustered. Yaxley didn’t notice, because he simply turned to face Ron.

“You know Cattermole, I requested someone from Magical Maintenance to sort out my office,” Yaxley said. “It’s still raining in there.”

“Raining...in your office?” Ron asked nervously. “That’s- that’s not good, is it?”

Yaxley looked at me and rolled his eyes, turning back to Ron. 

“You think it’s funny, Cattermole, do you?” He snarled. 

“No of course not-“

“You realize that I am on my way downstairs to interrogate your wife, Cattermole?” Yaxley spat. “In fact, I’m quite surprised you’re not sown there holding her hand while she waits. Already given her up as a bad job, have you? Probably wise. Be sure and marry a pureblood next time.”

Hermione stared in horror. I discreetly stretched my hand out and held hers tightly.

“I-I...” Ron stammered. 

“But if MY wife here were accused of being a Mudblood,” Yaxley turned and nodded to me, “and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I would make it my priority to do that job, Cattermole. Do you understand me?”

Apparently I was married to Yaxley. What joy. 

“Yes,” Ron whispered quickly.

“Attend to it, Cattermole, and if my office is not completely dry within an hour, your wife’s Blood Status will be in even graver doubt than it is now,” he threatened. Yaxley smiled at me and leaned forward and kissed me hard on the lips before walking away. 

“That was disgusting,” I mumbled.

“What am I going to do?” Ron squeaked. “If I don’t turn up, my wife- I mean Cattermole’s wife-“

“I’m coming with you,” I said. “Edith had the same job as my mum- they don’t need to be in their office a lot.” 

Ron nodded. 

“You two find Umbridge,” I told Harry and Hermione. “We’ll go sort out Yaxley’s office.”

“How do we stop it raining?” Ron asked.

“Try Finite Incantatem,” Hermione said. “That should stop it if its a Hex or a Curse... if it doesn’t then something’s gone wrong with the Atmospheric Charm which will be more difficult to fix.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I said, “thanks Hermione.”

She nodded and I turned to walk down the hall. Ron followed behind.

”Do you know where on Earth Yaxley’s office is?” Ron asked. I shook my head.

”I don’t but I think the catalog over there should say so,” I said. 

I went over and checked. Yaxley was on this floor in office 417. 

“I think if we go down the hall we’ll find it,” I said. Ron shrugged and followed me. 

There were a lot of “Hi Edith!”s and “Good morning, Reagan!”s and even “Have a nice day Mrs Yaxley!” 

“Who even knew Yaxley had a wife,” Ron said. 

“I never would’ve suspected if her surname wasn’t Yaxley,” I said. We arrived at 417 and my stomach dropped. The room was absolutely flooded and rain was pouring down heavily. 

“This is not going to be easy,” I sighed. I opened the door and walked in, Ron following behind and closing the door. We were drenched within seconds.

”Lovely,” I mused. “Wonder how this happened. Finite Incantatem!”

The rain didn’t stop. 

“What about that Atmospheric Charm Hermione said?” Ron asked. 

“Let’s try it then,” I said. I concentrated and waved my wand. Nothing changed. 

“Whatever the bloody hell is causing this I don’t like it,” I said.

”Can’t you use Alchemy to fix this?” Ron asked. 

“Well I could turn all the water into air and that’d stop the raining,” I said. Ron shrugged.

”That’ll have to do,” he said. I nodded. 

I took out my vials and sent them on a stand on the table. I saw a photograph of Yaxley and Edith smiling. How odd, for a Death Eater like Yaxley to seem happy. 

I created a little roof to keep the water off the vials and the experiment area. 

“Does it involve fire?” Ron asked. I nodded. I waved my wand so a heating stand popped up before me. I ignited it and set a cup on top. 

“You’re going to need to hand me the ingredients,” I told Ron. He nodded. 

I reached my arm out to him.

”Parsley,” I said. He handed me a vial. I added two leaves and stirred. 

“Basil.”

I added it in slowly and blew air into it. The fire rose higher and I stepped slightly back.

”Coal.” 

I grinded it into fine particles on the desk and dropped them into the solution. It fizzed and settled. 

“Now we wait two minutes to add the sulfur,” I said. Ron sighed and looked around the room.

”So, do you like Hermione?” I asked. Ron looked at me sheepishly.

”Yeah,” he said. 

“Well why don’t you ask her to be your girlfriend?” 

He sighed and sat down on Yaxley’s chair.

”I don’t want to ask her right now, in the midst of everything. When this is over then maybe.”

”Alright,” I said. 

I went back to the stand and added the sulfur. It fizzed and began to emit a green vapor. 

“Is that it?” Ron asked. 

“Not yet, I just need to add some magnesium,” I said. “Be a dear and hand me that magensium ribbon right there.”

”Ribbon?” Ron asked.

”The vial with the rectangles of magensium. It’s called a ribbon.” 

“Oh.”

He handed me the ribbon. I curled it up and dropped it in, removing the roof over the experiment area so that the purple vapor could spread around the room.

”This isn’t toxic right?” Ron asked. 

“Of course not,” I said. Slowly the water began to fade away and within minutes the room was dry as possible. 

I took my wand out and cast a few spells to make sure it never rained in there again. 

“Thanks Jules,” Ron said. “I’d never have been able to stop the rain.” 

“No problem,” I said. “Let’s see if we can find Harry and Hermione now.”

When we exited the office we ran into Dad.

”Hello, Arthur!” I said cheerily. He looked at me with a confused expression.

”Cattermole, Yaxley, why on Earth are you both drenched?” He asked.

”We had to dry up my er- my huband’s office,” I said. “It was raining buckets in there.”

”Ah yes many offices have been raining. How did you stop it?” Dad asked.

”I brewed a concoction that turned water into air,” I said. Dad raised his eyebrows. 

“Now that is quite fascinating, I didn’t know you were an Alchemist, Edith!” Dad said.

”I’m not,” I said quickly. “Erm- Emilia’s daughter..that little girl that made the Resurrection Potion...she taught me how.” 

“Ah yes that girl is brilliant,” Dad said proudly. Then he hesitated. “Pity she’s er- in America with her godmother. Hopefully she’s teaching the Americans Alchemy.” 

“That would be nice,” I said. 

“If anything you could also try Meteolojinx Recanto,” Dad suggested. “It worked for Bletchley.” 

“Really?” Ron asked, looking at me. “Jul- I mean Edith insisted on using Alchemy to try out the method.”

”Meteolojinx Recanto would work in seconds,” Dad said. “And it’s much less complex.”

”Well thank you Da- Arthur,” I said, smiling. He nodded and walked away. 

Then we were approached by none other than Percy Weasley. 

“Cattermole,” he greeted stiffly. Then he smiled to me. “And Mrs Yaxley, would you like me to leave the report from the Minister on your desk or give it to you in person later?” 

“On my desk if you please Mr Weasley,” I said. “I won’t be in my office today.” 

He nodded and left.

”Git,” Ron coughed as he went away. 

“He’s such a prat, honestly,” I said. “It’s not much of a burden to visit and reconnect with his family.”

”At least Mum doesn’t cry over him anymore,” Ron said. “She used to tear up all the time.”

”He’s my least favorite Weasley,” I said. Ron’s eyebrows raised.

”And who’s your favorite?” He inquired.

”No idea honestly. Maybe Ginny, or the twins, or you. Perhaps Bill or Charlie- Mum and Dad,” I said. Ron rolled his eyes but smirked.

”Let’s go find Harry and Hermione,” he said. I nodded and we walked into a lift.

”Shit, I have no idea what floor they’re on,” I hissed when the doors closed. Ron face palmed himself.

”Me either! Why didn’t we check before boarding...” he said.

We went down a level and found several screaming people.

”There are intruders in the Ministry! Dolores Umbridge’s office door has a hole in it! Go downstairs!” Someone shrieked. Ron and I looked at each other. 

“Crap!” I said. I slammed onto every lower level button on the elevator and it zoomed down. The instant the doors open again, we found the source of trouble.

We burst out through the elevators just in time to see several people running with Hermione and Harry.

“Reg!” A woman screamed, throwing herself onto Ron and hugging him. “Runcorn let me out, he attacked Umbridge and Yaxley and he’s told all of us to leave the country! I think we better do it, Reg, I really do! Let’s hurry home and fetch the children and- why are you so wet?”

“Water,” Ron mumbled. Harry turned to me. 

“Harry they know there are intruders inside the Ministry, something about a hole in Umbridge’s office door!” I shrieked. “We have to leave fast!”

”What if we’re trapped here?” Hermione cried.

“We won’t be if we move fast,” Harry said. He turned to look at the group of people behind him, which I assume were all Muggleborns waiting for trial.

“Who’s got wands?” He inquired. Half raised their hands.

“Ok those without wands attach yourself to somebody who has. We’ll need to be fast before they stop us,” he ordered. “Come on!”

We sprinted into the lift and surprisingly managed to cram everyone into the two lifts available. 

Hermione and Harry both cast their Patronus, so Ron and I did too. The terrier, the otter, the stag, and the panda lumbered forward to attack our persecutors. 

“Level Eight, Atrium,” the cool woman’s voice rang into the elevator.

“Harry that’s full of people!” I cried. The doors opened and several people ran to seal off the fireplaces.

“Harry! What do we do?” Hermione asked.

“Follow me,” Harry said, leading the people to a fireplace.

“What’s up, Albert?” A wizard asked nervously. 

“This lot need to leave before you seal the exits,” Harry said. 

“We’ve been told to seal all exits and not let anyone-“

“Are you contradicting me?” Harry snarled. “Would you like me to have your family tree examined, like I had Dirk Cresswell’s?” 

The wizard jumped nervously.

“Sorry!” He gasped. “I didn’t mean nothing, Albert..but I thought they were in for questioning and-“

“Their blood is pure,” Harry snapped. “Purer than many of yours, I daresay. Off you go!” 

I rushed to the back of the crowd and began urging people through the fireplace in pairs. 

“Mary!” A voice called. Ron, Mrs Cattermole, and I turned to see the real Reg Cattermole coming back. 

“R-Reg?” Mary asked.

Ron cursed loudly and I looked nervously between the two Cattermoles.

“What’s going on? What is this?” He asked. 

“SEAL THE EXIT!” I heard Yaxley roar as he came running out of a lift. 

The wizard that had not wanted to listen to Harry raised his wand and I punched him, then ran to Yaxley and put my arms on his chest.

“Corban, he’s been helping Muggleborns escape!” I shrieked. 

“Come on!” Harry screamed. Mary Cattermole was more confused than ever when Ron let go of her and ran to Harry and Hermione. Yaxley grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

“You’re not Edith!” He snarled. 

I saw Hermione, Ron, and Harry waiting for me to come with them. 

I struggled against Yaxley and he pressed his wand to my throat.

”If you’re not Edith, who are you?” He snarled, inching his face closer to mine. “You know what? I bet you’re that Romano girl that Dolohov wants to kill.” 

I turned and saw Hermione, Harry, and Ron Disapparate right before several wizards ambushed them. My eyes widened in fear.

”Been abandoned by your friends?” Yaxley sneered. “I’ll be taking you to the Dark Lord-“

I punched him and staggered away. Just as I turned on the spot he grabbed my arm. I landed on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place and Yaxley landed next to me, painfully against the stone floor. Blood was oozing out of his head. I screamed. 

Harry and Ron opened the door and I burst into tears.

”Now I’ve gone and ruined everything!” I wailed. “I’ve given up the location to a Death Eater! This place isn’t safe anymore!” 

“It’s ok we just nead to leave,” Hermione said from behind as she darted away into the living room. 

I bent down to touch Yaxley’s neck. He was no longer breathing. I’d killed him. 

“Evanesco,” I whispered, pointing my wand at him. His body disappeared and I gasped. 

“I killed him,” I said softly. “I killed him.”

”It’s not your fault, Jules he grabbed onto you-“

”I’ve killed him!” I screamed. “I killed someone...I’m a murderer!” 

I started crying more and Harry wrapped his arms around me just as Hermione appeared behind them. 

“Let’s go,” she said, closing the door behind her. Harry continued to hold onto me. He clutched Ron and Hermione’s hands. She turned on the spot and we landed in a forest. 

I landed hard on the ground. I curled up and began crying again.

”Jules...” Hermione whispered. I shook my head and squeezed my eyes tightly.

”I killed him.”


	48. Chapter 48

“Where are we?” Harry asked as he hoisted me up to a standing position. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and sniffled.

“The woods where they held the Quidditch World Cup,” Hermione said.

I remembered this forest all too well. We’d come with Clarisse’s family and stayed about two weeks before the actual cup happened. When the Death Eaters had hoisted Muggles by their feet up in the air, my mother had instructed Clarisse and I to hide in the woods while she and Clarisse’s parents went to fight. Clarisse’s mother had never come back. 

“D’you reckon we should move on?” Ron asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

“I dunno,” Harry said. “Why don’t we stay here for now?”

“Alright let’s put some protective enchantments around the place,” Hermione said. “Harry, Ron, take out the tent from the bag.”

I walked around casting spells as Harry and Ron set up the tent for our campsite. I was breathing heavily, still thinking about Yaxley. 

When the camp was set up, it felt a little more like a place we could live. The tent was rather large and had four beds to sleep in, and even a tiny kitchen to cook in. I wondered if I could still Apparate all the way to France from here...

“I can’t guarantee these spells will keep out Vol-“ Hermione began.

“Don’t say that!” Ron snapped.

“And why not?” I said angrily. “We’ve been saying it before.”

“It feels like a jinx or something,” Ron said. “Can’t we call him You Know Who, please?”

“I doubt it’s jinxed,” I said. “Dumbledore himself said fear of a name-“

“-that didn’t do him much good in the end,” Ron snapped. I stared at him angrily.

“Well of course, YOU didn’t watch him die!” I said.

“Just show You Know Who some respect will you?” Ron asked. Harry hissed.

“Respect?” He snarled. Hermione pushed him back. 

“I don’t know if the name has been jinxed,” I repeated. “Let’s try not to use it in the event that it has been.”

Harry and Ron huffed. 

Hermione pulled out the locket and I cringed. It made a hissing noise. She handed it to me. I felt power radiating through it, and a heartbeat within it. 

“This is just plain evil,” I whispered. 

“What do we do with it?” Hermione asked.

“Keep it safe til we figure out how to destroy it,” Harry said.

“I think we should take it in thens to keep watch outside the tent,” Ron said. 

“And we need food. I don’t know if I should risk Apparating to my mother’s house now that they know I’m still here,” I said. Hermione’s eyes widened.

“What are you talking about?” She asked, alarmed.

“Yaxley said he bet I was really me and now Edith,” I said. Then I shivered, remembering his dead body laying on the steps.

“Do you think he told anyone of his suspicions before...you know,” Harry said. I shook my head.

“I don’t know. He could easily have pressed the Dark Mark,” I said. “I will only know if I go to my mother’s house and see if there’s Death Eaters waiting for me there.” 

“Jules you can’t risk it!” Hermione shrieked. 

“I want to, though,” I said. 

“It’s too soon to tell, they’d be infiltrating France. They’d probably get a warrant first,” Ron said. I sighed.

“Maybe I’ll wait a few days to go,” I said. 

Harry then clutched his scar. 

“What?” I asked. 

“Nothing,” he said quickly. “I’ll take first watch.”

He walked out of the tent. Hermione looked sullen.

The next morning I hadn’t yet woken up when I heard Harry and Hermione arguing.

“...I can’t control what I dream, Hermione!” 

I shot up and rolled off the bed, falling hard on the ground. Ron was still asleep so I crawled over and woke him up. 

“What’s going on?” He mumbled loudly.

“Harry’s had another dream!” Hermione said. 

“What happened?” I asked. Harry sighed. 

“He found Gregorovitch,” he said. “I think he’s killed him. He wanted something from Gregorovitch...he asked him to hand it over but Gregorovitch said it had been stolen from him. Then he read Gregorovitch’s mind and saw this young bloke perched on a windowsill. He fired a curse at Gregorovitch and jumped out of sight. He stole whatever You Know Who’s after. He looked familiar.”

“Reckon he’s after something to turn into a Horcrux?” I asked fearfully. 

“I don’t know,” Harry said. “Didn’t Hermione say he’d already pushed his soul to the limit?”

“Maybe he doesn’t know that! Maybe he’ll die,” Ron said. I whimpered and felt tears jump into my eyes. I still hadn’t gotten over the fact I was a murderer.

Over the next few days Harry and I went out hunting together to find anything we could to serve as food. One day I found two squirrels, then another day salmon. Mostly we were eating toadstools. What I noticed during this time was that Ron got very moody from the lack of food.

I’m starting to think that wearing that stupid Horcrux puts the person in a bad mood. Whenever Ron wears it he’s awful. Harry still said we should try and keep wearing it but Hermione wanted to store it in blankets.

“We’re not leaving that Horcrux lying around!” Harry said. 

“Fine!” Hermione said. “But we need to take shorter turns wearing it because the longer someone has it on, the moodier they get.”

“Great,” Ron snapped. “Now that we’ve sorted that out, can we please get some food?”

Hermione promptly left in annoyance and came back with eggs and bread that I cooked into sandwiches. Ron was happier after that. 

“So what next?” Ron asked. “We could go to Albania.”

“There can’t be anything there,” Hermione said. “He’d already made five of his Horcruxes before he went into exile, and Dumbledore was certain the snake is the sixth.”

“Maybe he hid something in Hogwarts,” I pondered. “His Horcruxes are all meaningful things. Probably are hidden in meaningful places. He’s a bit of an idiot really, I’d have made my Horcrux a penny in the ocean...or a rock.”

Hermione laughed nervously.

“Didn’t you say You Know Who asked Dumbledore for a job after he left?” Ron asked Harry. Harry nodded. “And Dumbledore thought he only wanted to come back to try and find something, probably another founder’s object, to make another Horcrux? But he didn’t get the job so he never got the chance to find a founder’s object there and hide it in the school!”

“Forget Hogwarts I guess,” I mumbled. 

But what if he still had? The ring, maybe something from Ravenclaw..Hufflepuff, Gryffindor...maybe he had. 

The days dragged on and Ron of course would still complain quite a bit about the lack of food. 

“My Mum can make good food appear out of thin air,” he said. I rolled my eyes.

“She can’t,” Hermione said. “No one can. Food is the first of the five Principal Exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfig-“

“Speak English will you?” Ron mumbled. 

She sighed so I jumped in.

“What she means is that it’s impossible to make good food out of nothing,” I said. “You can Summon it if you know where it is, you can transform it, you can increase the quantity if you’ve already got some-“

“Don’t bother increasing this, it’s disgusting,” he said, pointing at the fish. Hermione looked indignant. 

“Harry and Jules caught the fish and I did my best with it!” Hermione said. 

“Jules cooks better why don’t you let her?” Ron snapped. 

“Ron shut up and appreciate that she cooked it! In case you don’t remember, I couldn’t cook it because I almost got hypothermia swimming in the lake for it!” I spat. 

“And why don’t YOU try cooking it for once?” Hermione told him. “Just because we’re girls doesn’t mean we have to do it all the time!”

Ron stayed silent.

“You can do the cooking tomorrow, Ron,” she said fiercely. “You can find the ingredients and try and charm them into something worth eating, and I’ll sit here and pull faces and moan and you can see how you-“

“Oh screw this I’m going to go hunt again,” I snapped, getting up and putting my jacket on.

“Jules-“ 

“I said I’m going to hunt,” I muttered, walking out of the tent and down to where the lake was.

Ron was more insensitive than Harry sometimes! Sure he was used to three warm meals a day thanks to Mum and the house elves at Hogwarts but it was ridiculous that he couldn’t be more appreciative. Hermione STILL hadn’t let me go to France and check out my house. For all I knew, it could be intact and maybe France was safe.

I walked, crunching leaves and twings with every step. I had my hand in my pocket, ready to take my wand out at a moments notice.

I reached the lake and saw a beautiful fox roaming around. Should I bring it back to eat it? Or should I let it go? 

I noticed the fox was in a hurry. I followed it for a bit and saw it was digging food. Maybe it was a mother with children. 

Then it did something incredible. It dug furiously into the ground and extracted two large quails. Why hadn’t I thought of digging before? 

The fox looked up and saw me. I waved at it. The two quails loaded into its mouth made it look like it was smiling at me. It motioned to the hole it had made and scurried away. 

I walked to where it had been and peered inside. I saw two more dead quails resided in the hole. I looked around, not seeing the fox anymore. 

Surely it wanted me to have them. Why else would it have shown them to me? It could’ve easily covered the hole and left. 

Naturally I took the two quails and flung them over my shoulder. I began to walk back to where the campsite was. My footsteps echoed across the woods. There was a crack from behind me. I whipped around and saw nothing. Another crack. 

Fearfully, I turned a full 360 and looked across every inch of the forest I could see with my eyes. 

Another crack sounded, louder this time. 

“Lumos Maxima!” I said. The bright light illuminated the forest even more. I looked up.

I barely had time to dive to the side before a massive tree branch fell where I’d been standing.

Scowling and cursing, I got up and dusted the dirt off the quails. I continued on to the tent. When I arrived I found it empty. Where had those blokes gone? 

I ignored their absence and began cooking the quails. By the time the first one was cooked, they’d arrived.

“Where were you guys?” I demanded. 

“There are goblins in the woods,” Harry said. I gasped. “Dean Thomas and Tonks’ dad are with them..they said Ginny and them tried to get the sword of Gryffindor from Dumbledore’s office!”

Hermione rushed forward and took out a gigantic portrait from her bag.

“What the ruddy hell is that?” I asked.

“Phineas Nigellus Black!” She said. “I packed him so he wouldn’t see into the house in case Snape asked him to.”

“Why would Snape ask?” I inquired.

“Did we not tell you? Snape is the new Headmaster of Hogwarts,” Hermione said. My jaw tightened.

“No, you didn’t tell me,” I said. 

“At any rate the sword in there is supposedly fake,” Harry said. 

“That’s ridiculous how could that have happened?” I asked.

“We’ll ask Phineas that,” Hermione said. “Phineas Nigellus? Professor Black? Please could we talk to you?”

Just as he appeared, Hermione cried “Obscuro!” upon the portrait. A blindfold appeared over his eyes.

“How dare you?” Phineas snapped.

“Necessary precaution,” Hermione said. 

“Remove this foul addition at once! Remove it I say! Where am I?” He asked.

“Never mind where you are,” Harry said. Phineas stopped to listen. 

“Could that possibly be the voice of the elusive Mr Potter?” He asked. 

“Maybe,” I said. Phineas chuckled.

“And the voice of Miss Romano...I remember you,” he said. 

“We’ve got a couple of questions to ask you,” Harry said. “About the sword of Gryffindor.”

“Ah,” Phineas said, “yes. That silly girl acted most unwisely there-“

“Shut up about my sister,” Ron snarled.

“Who else is there?” Phineas demanded. “Your tone displeases me! The girl and her friends were foolhardy in the extreme. Thieving from the headmaster.”

“Well the sword doesn’t belong to Snape,” I said coldly.

“But it belongs to Professor Snape’s school!” Phineas retorted. “Exactly what claim did the Weasley girl have upon it? She deserved her punishment, as did the idiot Longbottom and the Lovegood oddity!”

“I beg to diff-“

“Neville is not an idiot,” I said angrily. “And Luna is not an oddity!”

“How did Snape punish them?” Harry cut in.

“Professor Snape sent them into the Forbidden Forest to do some work for the oaf, Hagrid,” Phineas said.

“Hagrid is not an oaf!” Hermione said shrilly.

“Snape might’ve thought that was a punishment,” Harry said with a wry laugh. “But Ginny, Neville, and Luna probably just laughed with Hagrid. The Forbidden Forest..they’ve faced worse than that! Big deal!”

Hermione cleared her throat.

“What we really wanted to know, Professor Black,” Hermione said, “is whether anyone else has, um, taken out the sword at all? Maybe it’s been taken away for cleaning or- or something.”

I could tell Phineas had rolled his eyes.

“Muggleborns,” he mused. “Goblin made armor doesn’t require cleaning, simple girl. Goblins’ silver repels mundane dirt, imbibing only that which strengthens it.”

“Hermione is not simple,” I said. 

“Perhaps it is time for me to return to the headmaster’s office,” Phineas shot back.

“Can you bring us Dumbledore?” Harry asked quickly. “From his portrait to yours?”

Phineas laughed.

“Evidently it is not only Muggleborns who are ignorant, Potter,” he said. “The portraits of Hogwarts may commune with each other but they cannot travel outside the castle except to visit a painting of themselves hanging elsewhere. Dumbledore cannot come here with me, and after the treatment I have received at your hands I can assure you that I shall not be making a return visit!”

“Professor Black,” Hermione said softly, “couldn’t you just tell us PLEASE when was the last time the sword was taken out of its case? Before Ginny took it out, I mean?”

Phineas pondered over that for a moment, almost as if he was wondering whether he should tell us or not.

“I believe that the last time I saw the sword of Gryffindor leave its case was when Professor Dumbledore used it to break open a ring.”

I gasped loudly and looked at Harry.

“Well goodnight to you,” Phineas said, leaving. 

“Harry!” Hermione cried excitedly.

“I know!” Harry said. 

“That means the sword can destroy Horcruxes!” I said. “He said the blades imbibe what strengthens them...assuming it doesn’t lose that...then the sword is still impregnanted with the basilisk venom from when you went into the Chamber of Secrets!”

Hermione gasped loudly. Then Harry face palmed himself.

“That’s why Dumbledore didn’t give it to me! He still needed it, he wanted to use it on the locket!” He said.

“That’s why he made a copy of it! He knew they wouldn’t let you have it so he may have left the sword elsewhere!” Hermione said. 

“Where on Earth could he have hidden it?” I asked. 

“Ron?” Hermione asked. I noticed suddenly that Ron’s eyes were stormy, and he looked quite angry.

“Oh, remembered me have you?” He asked fiercely. “Carry on, don’t let me spoil your fun.”

“What is your problem?” I asked. “If it’s the food then you need to cut it out! I almost died bringing those quails!”

“It’s not the food!” Ron said. “Don’t expect me to skip up and down the tent. Now there’s some other damn thing we’ve got to find! Just add it to the list of stuff you don’t know.”

“I don’t know?” Harry asked furiously. “I don’t know?”

There was a crash of thunder and it began to rain. Ron scowled. 

“It’s not like I’m having the time of my life here,” Ron said. “Nothing to eat, freezing my backside off every night. I just hoped, you know, after we’d been running round a few weeks we’d have achieved something.”

“Ron....” Hermione mumbled. 

“I thought you knew what you’d signed up for,” Harry said. “I made it clear. You even said you’ve been signed up since it started. In first year! Even Jules knows that and she barely came along in fifth year!”

Ron stared angrily at the wall of the tent.

“What isn’t living up to your expectations?” Harry demanded. “Did you think we’d be staying in five star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you’d be back to Mummy by Christmas?”

“Harry stop,” I said, pushing him back. “You need to calm down.”

He pushed me aside and advanced to Ron, who stood up.

“We thought you knew what you were doing!” Ron shouted. “We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, we thought you had a real plan!”

“Well sorry to let you down,” Harry said in a scarily calm voice. “I’ve been straight with you from the start. I told you everything Dumbledore told me. And in case you haven’t noticed, we’ve found one Horcrux-“

“Yeah and we’re about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them- nowhere effing near, in other words!” Ron said. Hermione rushed forward and put her hands on his chest.

“Take off the locket, Ron,” she said quietly. “Please take it off, you wouldn’t be talking like this if you hadn’t been wearing it all day.”

“Yeah he would,” Harry said, advancing again. I pushed him back. “D’you think I haven’t noticed how you two go and whisper behind my back? Every time Jules and I are out hunting we walk in on you two talking and then you suddenly stop! D’you think I didn’t guess you were thinking this stuff?”

“Harry we weren’t-“ Hermione said.

“Don’t lie!” Ron yelled at her. “You said it too, you said you were disappointed, you said you’d thought he had a bit more to go on than-“

I saw Harry’s jaw tighten.

“I didn’t say it like that, Harry, I didn’t!” Hermione wailed. 

Harry breathed deeply and glared so angrily at Ron, I knew that if looks could kill I’d be pouring the Resurrection Potion into Ron and Hermione’s mouths. 

“So why are you still here?” Harry asked Ron fiercely.

“Search me,” Ron snapped.

“Go home then,” Harry said.

“Maybe I will!” Ron snarled. “Didn’t you hear what they said about my sister? But you don’t give a rat’s fart, do you, it’s only the Forbidden Forest! Harry I’ve Faced Worse Potter doesn’t care what happens to her in here- well I do, all right? Giant spiders and mental stuff-“

“I was only saying- she was with the others, they were with Hagrid!” Harry protested.

“Yeah I get it, you don’t care!” Ron howled. “And did you hear the goblins talking about the rest of my family? ‘The Weasleys don’t need another kid injured’ did you hear that?”

“Yeah I-“

“Not bothered by what it meant, though?”

“Ron! Harry!” I cried. “Please stop! Ron, I don’t think that meant anything new has happened, Bill’s already scarred...George had lost an ear...you’re supposed to be on your deathbed with spattergroit! I’m sure that’s all they meant-“

“Oh you’re sure, are you?” He said nastily. “Well I won’t bother myself about them. It’s alright for you, Hermione, and Harry, your parents are safely out of the way-“

“My parents are dead!” I snarled. “And so are Harry’s!”

“And mine could be going the same way!” Ron bellowed.

“THEN GO!” Harry roared. “Go back to them, pretend you’ve got over your spattergroit and Mummy’ll be able to feed you up and-“

I screamed and barely cast a Protego Charm before Ron hurled a spell at Harry.

“Leave the Horcrux,” Harry said coldly. 

Ron ripped the locket off of him. He threw it across the room and looked fiercely at Hermione.

“What are you doing?” He asked her. She looked taken aback.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Are you staying or what?” He demanded.

“I-I...yes I’m staying Ron. We said we’d go with Harry, we said we’d help-“ she began. 

Ron scoffed loudly and looked at her like he was profoundly hurt.

“I get it, you choose him,” Ron said, pushing her back and storming out of the tent.

“No! Please Ron come back!” She cried as she ran out after him. 

I breathed heavily and stopped pushing Harry away. I walked out to see if Ron was still there. I could faintly see Hermione, by the trees calling his name. She sobbed loudly and came back.

“He’s g-g-gone!” She wailed. “Disapparated!”

She flung herself onto the floor and began to cry. I put my arms around her.

“No Jules!” She said. “G-g-go check your mum’s house in F-F-France...I stopped you long enough!” 

Harry nodded and just waved me away. Angrily, I stepped outside and Disapparated. 

The house was just like I’d left it when I’d been there with Draco. 

I took two steps forward and heard movement outside. 

“She’s arrived!” I heard someone hiss. 

I darted to the secret door under the stairs that led to the basement. I barely managed to close the door when I heard Death Eaters burst in.

I ran as fast as I could down the secret passageway and ended up in the basement, where I opened the window and crawled outside. I ran to where the forest nearby was and hid behind a bush. I could see all the lights in the house had been turned on, and Death Eaters were searching. 

I felt a hand on my shoulder and almost had a heart attack. Draco’s sad blue eyes gazed into mine. I burst into tears.

“Why are you here, Jules?” He asked fearfully.

“Why are THEY here?” I asked, pointing at the house. I sobbed and hugged him tightly.

“Yaxley was killed,” he said. “He told Thicknesse he thought you were in the Ministry. They first searched for Yaxley and couldn’t find him, so they went to see if any properties were in your name. They found this, and they set up a system to alert them when you came into the house. I swear I didn’t tell them anything.” 

I pressed my face into his chest to muffle my crying.

”I killed Yaxley!” I said quietly. “If I hadn’t killed him then I wouldn’t have jeopardized our position! We could’ve used this as a safe house!”

Draco looked at me.

”You killed Yaxley?” He whispered.

”Yes! We were in the Ministry a-and he had a hold of me when I was trying to Disapparate and I accidentally took him w-within the boundaries of our safe house! He hit his head and he died and-and-and..I failed at being a S-Secret K-Keeper. I’m a murderer now!” 

Draco hugged me even tighter and pressed me close to his chest.

”It wasn’t your fault!” He insisted. “You didn’t kill him, he was killed off his own accord!”

I cried more and covered my face with my hands. 

I heard a diabolical screech. I turned and saw several Death Eaters outside the house. The unmistakable figure of Bellatrix Lestrange launched a spell. 

Draco had to cover my mouth to muffle my screams as I watched the entire house burst into flames.


	49. Chapter 49

I woke up in a house I was not familiar with. I turned and saw Draco, fast asleep next to me. 

I shot up out of bed. How had I ended up here?

Then the memories flooded back. Ron leaving. The house bursting into flames. I’d probably fainted or something. Did the Death Eaters know I was here?

Draco snored lightly. No, there was no way they knew. I wouldn’t be here. 

I got out of the bed and stretched my arms out. I felt empty. 

I got up and went to where I assumed the bathroom was. Conveniently, the room was structured just like Draco’s dorm at Hogwarts. 

I washed my clothes and dried them then took a shower. I was filthy from being in the woods so long, and feeling warm water remove all the dirt from my body was so satisfying. 

I was shampooing my hair when the door opened.

“Morning,” Draco said, going to the sink to brush his teeth. 

“Have I been out long?” I asked. Draco nodded. 

“You’ve been unconscious for three days,” he said. “Mum thought the shock was too much for you to handle.”

”Oh,” I mumbled. Three friggin days?

There was a silence as Draco brushed his teeth. 

“What day is it?” I asked. 

“December 24th,” Draco said, spitting the toothpaste out. I saw his eyes dart in my direction a few times. The shower curtain was conveniently see through. 

“I must look insanely attractive with shampoo in my hair,” I said.

“You’re insanely attractive all the time,” he said. I smiled. 

“Did you steal this shampoo from your mother? Because I don’t think you’d normally have women’s shampoo in your bathroom,” I said. 

“Yeah my mum gave it to me last night for you to use,” Draco said. “You fainted.”

“I figured that out,” I said. “I couldn’t remember anything. How didn’t you get caught?” 

“Well I wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place,” Draco said. “My mark burned so I went, and conveniently I found you. I just Apparated back here with you the instant you fainted. Luckily the Death Eaters haven’t been here in awhile, they’ve been using the deserted Rosier manor. It’s much larger and is more secluded.” 

“Thank you for bringing me here,” I said. “I’m afraid I’ll have to leave soon.”

“I knew you’d say that,” Draco said sadly. “At least come down and have breakfast. Meet my dad. My parents swore they won’t tell anyone you were here.”

I smiled and began to rinse out my hair. 

“You could be a mermaid,” Draco said. “It looks like being underwater suits you.”

“You say that because I look good when water is running down my body or because I look thrilled to be taking a shower?” I asked with a smirk.

“Both,” he said. “I don’t suppose you’d mind if I jumped in there with you.”

“Be my guest,” I said. “The water’s quite hot though, I doubt you’ll be able to withstand it for long.” 

“Believe it or not I shower with warm water too,” he said, taking his shirt off. “Anyone who showers with cold water when its freezing outside is a bloody lunatic.” 

He stripped the rest of his clothes off and hopped in, joining me under the running water. He kissed me and wrapped his arms around me. He disconnected and looked me in the eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said. 

“What for?” I asked.

“For everything that’s happened to you. First you grow up without a dad, then you lose your mum, then you lose Sirius, then you get seriously injured, then you spend months in hiding, and now you’ve lost your home.” 

I sighed and hugged him tightly, pressing my body against his as far as it would go.

“It’s inevitable,” I said sadly. “Everything faded away after awhile.”

“You don’t deserve this,” Draco said. “You deserve a better life without so much misery.” 

“If that were possible I’d probably be a horrid person,” I said. “I’d much rather be the Jules who’s suffered but ultimately become a good person.”

Draco kissed me again, cupping my face in his hands. 

“You are an amazing person, and I’m so in love with you,” Draco mumbled against my lips. I kissed him harder, feeling tears seeping out of my eyes. 

“I promise you, Juliana Elizabeth Romano,” Draco said, “that when I marry you I will make sure you are happy, in a big house, with all the things you ever wanted. I’ll even be nice to all your friends because as much as I dislike them, I know it would make you happy if I was kind to them.”

I stifled a sob.

“You’re incredible,” I said. “I don’t deserve you.” Draco shook his head.

“No Jules, it’s me who doesn’t deserve YOU,” he said. “You should be with someone better...I caused you so much stress and worry last year and I’m not a good person. I’m horrible.”

I touched his face and looked into his eyes.

“You’re not a horrible person,” I whispered. “I already told you, you’re a good person who is in a really difficult situation. I can say I thoroughly know you, and the Draco I know is good, intelligent, loving, generous. If you were a bad person, I wouldn’t be here. You’d have killed me because I am an enemy.” 

Draco smiled wryly, pressing another kiss onto my lips and wrapping his arms around my back. He groaned as he pressed even closer to me, pinning me to the wall. His hands roamed down and gripped my thighs, pushing me upwards.

“I’m going to hit the shower head if you push me any further,” I said. Draco put me down softly.

“Yeah maybe we shouldn’t do it in here,” he said. “Perhaps once before you leave?”

“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “Let me finish showering.” 

When we both finished showering we went downstairs, where a nice breakfast awaited.

“Good morning Jules,” Narcissa Malfoy said sweetly as she swooped in from the kitchen. 

“Good morning,” I said. Draco pulled up a chair for me. I sat down and he sat next to me, Narcissa across from us. 

“Good morning everyone,” Lucius Malfoy announced as he walked in. He smiled and sat next to Narcissa.

”Good morning,” I said again. Draco smiled.

”How are you, sweetie?” Narcissa asked. I shrugged. 

“I’m doing as good as can be expected,” I said. “Thank you for having me here.”

”No trouble at all,” Lucius said. “In fact I do hope we’ll eventually get to see you around more.” 

I smiled. I began to eat, and became aware of how hungry I had been. I hadn’t even gotten to eat the stupid quail I’d gotten. 

“I would like to thank you, Juliana,” Lucius said. I looked up from my food. 

“Draco told us how helpful you were last year. He told us how you saved his life and kept him sane,” he said. I looked at Draco and smiled. Lucius beamed at us.

”Thank you, Juliana, for keeping my son happy,” Lucius finished. 

“No problem,” I said. “Anytime.” 

Narcissa reached across the table and touched my hand softly. “Won’t you stay?” She asked. 

“I could if I would,” I said. “But I have to continue my task.” 

Narcissa nodded and squeezed my hand. 

“Stay safe,” she said. “We will try and help as much as possible. Lay as low as you can, and don’t use the Dark Lord’s name.”

”Why not?” I asked. “Is it jinxed?” She nodded.

”The Death Eaters put a Taboo on his name,” Lucius said. “It’s how they’ve been finding people so quickly. I know that Potter boy likes to say his name.” 

I nodded.

”I’ll make sure to tell him,” I said. Lucius and Narcissa nodded.

We finished breakfast and Draco led me back up to his room. 

“You know,” he said. “You could always just stay here. I’m sure Potter, Weasley, and Granger could get along just fine without you.”

”I’m not so sure about that,” I said as I walked into his room. “Ron was so furious last night he disappeared.” 

Draco’s expression dropped.

”So you would have to go back,” he said. I nodded. He sighed. 

“I just...I don’t want to have you out of my sight,” he said. “I want to keep you safe, here with me. I want to make sure you’re being fed well and are mentally stable. I want to be able to hold you every night and kiss you whenever I please. I worry so much about you.” 

I laid down on the bed and hugged his pillow. 

“And I worry about you here, with all the Death Eaters,” I said. “I don’t want them to make you do something even worse and not be able to get you through it.” 

Draco laid down next to me and wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder.

”I love you,” he whispered in my ear. 

“I love you too,” I said, turning to face him. He pressed a kiss onto my forehead. Then he turned me over so that I was on top of him. I kissed his lips hard and slipped my tongue into his mouth. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed my hips down to grind against his. His hands trailed up my shirt and took it off me. 

“It’s freezing,” I groaned as he flung the shirt aside. He laughed and rolled over so he was now on top of me. He took his own shirt off and kissed me again, his tongue slamming mine down. 

“Is that warmer?” He mumbled into the kiss. He kissed the base of my neck and trailed kissed up so he ended back up at my mouth.

”A lot warmer yes,” I said.

“Well in that case, Merry Christmas,” he groaned. He moved and kissed my neck, then went lower and lower until he was kissing my stomach. He gripped my pants tightly and tore them off of me. His hands gripped my thighs and massaged them as his lips found his way to mine again. I held his face in my hands and pulled him closer to me. Then my hands moved down to undo his belt, slipping his pants down. He groaned again and and kissed my neck again, grabbing the blanket and tossing it over us. 

* * *

It was starting to get dark when I left. Narcissa packed me some sandwiches and Lucius gave me some Galleons in case we needed it. I thanked them profusely and Apparated away to the tent. 

When I arrived, Hermione screamed.

“JULIANA ELIZABETH ROMANO!” She cried. “You scared us to death! Almost four days without you coming back!” 

I smiled wryly.

“The Death Eaters burned my house. Draco was there and took me to his house when I fainted. I was unconscious for three whole days. Narcissa gave us some sandwiches and Lucius some money,” I said. Harry gasped when I took out the bag of money. 

“That was so sweet of them,” Hermione said. I smiled, then frowned.

“Ron was right about the name being jinxed,” I said. Hermione faltered and her eyes swam with tears. “The name’s been Tabooed. That’s how they found us in Tottenham Court Road.”

“That makes sense,” Harry said. 

“Anyway what have you guys been planning?” I asked. 

“We’re going to Godric’s Hollow,” Hermione said, wiping her face with her sleeve. “We might find Bathilda Bagshot there...she could have the sword.” 

“Alright let’s go,” I said. 

“We’re going to become old people,” Hermione said. “Maybe you should disguise yourself too.”

I transfigured myself into a young blonde girl, which would make it look like I was simply taking a walk with my grandparents. 

We Apparated there and walked a bit before Hermione gasped.

“I think it’s Christmas Eve!” Hermione said. I nodded.

“It is,” I said. 

We walked through a passage and ended up a few feet away from a graveyard. 

Beside it was a statue of Harry’s parents, holding him. 

“That’s adorable,” I said. Harry touched the statue faintly, then led us into the graveyard. 

I searched around the tombstones, trying to find anything. 

“Fabian and Gideon Prewett,” I said to myself. “Mum’s brothers.” 

I could hear my footsteps crunching against the snow. 

“Harry! Jules! Here!” Hermione called. I moved to where she was. She pointed a a dark stone that read “Kendra Dumbledore and her daughter, Ariana.”

“Dum

bledore’s mum and sister,” I whispered.

“Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also,” Hermione read off the stone. 

“That’s a beautiful quote,” I said. She nodded. 

We continued searching. Abbott... Higgins... MacMillan... another Weasley... the graveyard was enormous. 

“Look at this!” Hermione shrieked. 

Harry and I walked over.

“It’s the mark in the book!” Hermione said. 

“What book?” I asked. 

“The one Dumbledore gave me,” she said. The mark was a triangle with a circle in the middle and a line going down the center of both. 

“That looks familiar,” I said. “I swear I’ve seen that mark before.” 

“Ignotus,” Hermione read. I squinted at the tombstone. 

“That name sounds familiar too...where have I heard it before?” I asked. Hermione shrugged. We continued searching, and that’s when Hermione found them.

“Look Harry, they’re right here,” Hermione said. He and I walked over. 

The tombstone was beautiful, it was large and made of white marble. 

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,” I read. 

“Isn’t that a Death Eater idea?” Harry said, panicked.

“It doesn’t mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry,” Hermione said. “I don’t really know what it means.”

“Living beyond death,” I whispered. “I think that’s what it means.” 

I noticed Harry’s mouth quivering. Tears started trailing down his cheeks, he gasped. I sat down next to him and hugged him tight. 

Hermione raised her wand and produced a wreath of Christmas roses. She handed it to Harry, who placed it softly in front of the grave. I stood up. 

I continued to walk around the graveyard. More names, none familiar. 

“Jules!” Hermione called. “Look!” 

I went back to where she was and nearly choked. 

There it was. My father’s grave. 

My parents had not been buried in the same place. I had never even visited my father’s grave before.

I collapsed onto my knees and touched it softly. It read: 

Rogelio Romano, House of Bianchi

Born November 17, 1957

Died October 31, 1981

“For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.” 

What was different about my father’s grave is that more quotes had been engraved near the bottom. 

“It’s hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember.” -Caesar Spinnet

“Only the dead have seen the end of the war.” -Plato

“We know you’d be with us if heaven wasn’t so far away. We miss you.” -Emilia and Jules 

I found myself crying softly. I felt a hand on my shoulder and then saw Hermione kneel beside me. 

“I didn’t know you dad was buried here,” she whispered.

“Neither did I,” I said softly. She wrapped her arms around me and began to cry with me. 

Awhile after we exited the graveyard and continued walking through Godric’s Hollow. First we came upon a Lily and James’ Potter’s house. 

A sign rose from the gate, stating the event that had occurred. Harry smiled seeing the support messages people had written on the sign for him.

As we continued walking I noticed something else.

“Is that another statue over there?” I asked. Hermione peered over and nodded.

“I wonder whose it is,” she said. We walked over and I gasped.

“That’s my father,” I whispered. 

My dad was depicted with his wand outstretched, looking daringly at an enemy. 

I looked down at the plaque.

“On this spot, on the night of 31 October, 1981, the renowned Alchemist, Secret Auror, and Order of the Phoenix member Rogelio Romano lost his life. He was the protector of our village, tasked to keep us safe all on his own. In an attempt to save Lily, James, and Harry Potter, he was killed by Antonin Dolohov with a curse not yet known to us. Rogelio gave us many things we are forever grateful for- our safety, our church, our school, and our health. He is survived by his wife, Emilia Romano and his young daughter Juliana Romano. He will forever live in our memories, and we hope one day our sons and daughters can grow up to be just like him- a selfless, loving, hero.”

I touched the plaque and breathed heavily. My father had been such an amazing person, and I’d never gotten to meet him. I was descended from immense greatness and I was barely finding out. Why hadn’t my mother ever told me everything he did? Why had she refused to tell me more about him? She’d never even told me stories about when they were young, when they had me, there weren’t even any pictures.

“Look at that woman,” Hermione said. I turned to where she was looking. 

An old woman was hobbling around. She turned to face us.

“We’re under the Cloak, so she can’t see us, right?” I asked. 

But the woman’s actions didn’t convince me. She continued to beckon us over.

“Are you Bathilda?” Harry called. She nodded and waved again. 

We followed her down the road and into a house. It smelled disgusting and I almost threw up. Hermione gagged.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Hermione said.

“Neither do I,” I mumbled. 

Bathilda roamed around the house lighting candles. Harry took the cloak off and began observing things. 

He helped her light the candles. I moved to a point where my back was to a wall and I could see Bathilda clearly. I didn’t trust her.

”Miss Bagshot?” Harry asked suddenly, taking a photograph from over the fireplace. “Who’s this?”

Hermione looked at me quickly then turned back to the scene. 

Bathilda looked at the picture without speaking.

“Who is this man?” Harry asked a little louder.

“Harry, what are you doing?” Hermione hissed.

“This picture, Hermione, it’s the thief sho stole from Gregorovitch!” He said, shaking the picture. “Please, who is this?” 

Hermione glanced at me nervously.

“Why did you ask us to come, Miss Bagshot?” I asked. “Was there something you wanted to tell us?”

She completely ignored me and began to motion towards the stairs. 

“Does she want us to leave?” Hermione whispered. 

Bathilda pointed to Harry, then towards the stairs again.

“I don’t like this, she’s separating us,” I said quietly. 

“I think she wants me to go upstairs with her,” Harry said. 

Hermione and I began to follow but Bathilda shook her head so furiously that I thought it would fall off her head.

“She wants me to go with her alone,” Harry said.

“But why?” I inquired.

“Maybe Dumbledore told her to give the sword to me and only me,” Harry said.

“Do you think she even really knows sho you are?” I asked coldly.

“I think she does,” Harry said. I huffed angrily.

“Be quick then,” I said. 

Harry and Bathilda disappeared up the stairs and Hermione rushed over to me. I sniffed the air and gagged. 

“I don’t even know what that smells like,” Hermione said. 

“Harry is trusting her too easily and it’s making me worried,” I said, disregarding her comment. 

“Exactly, I have a really bad feeling about this,” she agreed. 

We had been waiting only minutes when my eyes widened.

“That’s dead human flesh, Hermione,” I said. “Someone is dead in this house.” 

Her eyes widened and then we heard Harry yelling.

We sprinted for the stairs, and arrived just in time to see Nagini, Voldemort’s snake, attacking Harry. 

“He’s coming! He’s coming!” Harry cried loudly, clutching his scar. 

Hermione shot a spell and the snake flew across the room. 

“Confringo!” She cried. The spell ricocheted across the room and glass flew everywhere. 

We rushed forward to pick up Harry when the snake lunged.

I don’t know what made me do it, but I jumped in front of it to stop it from biting Hermione. 

Its fangs sunk into my shoulder and I screamed so loud I could feel my vocal chords being strained. 

My hand flew into my pocket. What was that bloody combination in Dumbledore’s book? Nitroglycerin...oats...and what else?!

The snake was apparently stuck to my shoulder from how deep its fangs were inserted. I could feel the venom seeping into my blood and I wanted to remove it from me so bad but if I did that it would attack Harry and Hermione, who were both screaming. 

OIL! It was OIL!

I rummaged and took out the vials of nitroglycerin, oats, and oil. Uncorking them, I threw them all into Nagini’s mouth and closed it, ripping her fangs out of my shoulder at the last second and stumbling to hold Hermione’s hand just as Voldemort walked in and Nagini exploded. 

We landed in the forest and I screamed, my shoulder coming in contact with a twig on the ground.

“Jules!” Hermione cried. “I’m sorry- oh what do I do- Harry’s unconscious and you’re dying oh my God what do I do?!” 

I gasped and felt my legs start shaking.

“G-g-grab t-t-the v-vial that s-says dittany-clove on it!” I said, choking on my own blood. I spit and the red liquid oozed out onto the ground. Hermione rummaged in my pocket and extracted it.

“N-Now what?” She asked.

“P-pour it i-in,” I said. 

She poured it in. The wound burned, and I screamed even louder. The venom must’ve traveled almost through my entire body because within seconds my whole body was on fire and I couldn’t feel anything other than pain. Hermione was crying and pouring the substance into my wound while Harry screamed in pain and clutched his scar. 

After what seemed like an hour my vision cleared and my breathing became normal. I closed my eyes.

“J-Jules are you a-alive?” Hermione asked worriedly.

“Uh huh,” I mumbled. Hermione let out a sob.

“D-Don’t ever do that again!” She cried. “I was so s-scared.”

“You did brilliant,” I said, exhaling hard. “Give Harry that blue liquid in the large vial.”

She did as instructed and soon Harry woke up.

“Oh Harry!” Hermione whispered. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” he groaned, getting up. He looked at me and his eyes widened. 

“Is she alive?” He asked. I looked at him and narrowed my eyes.

“Do you lot want me dead or why do you ask?” I said. He laughed nervously.

“What did you see?” Hermione asked. Harry touched his scar.

“Jules destroyed a horcrux,” he said. “Voldemort was so angry, my scar burst open...”

“Turns out Dumbledore’s book did work,” I said. “I doubt it’ll work on the locket though.”

“Bathilda was the snake,” Harry said. “She must’ve been dead awhile.”

“The house did smell like a dead body,” I said. Harry frowned.

“The snake was inside her,” he continued, ignoring my comment. “You Know Who put it there, in Godric’s Hollow, to wait. You were right, he knew I’d go there.”

“No wonder she was so quiet,” I mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked.

“She didn’t want to talk in front of us because we’d know it was Parseltongue, so she took you alone to speak because you’d understand her. Then she must’ve sent a message to You Know Who.”

“The snake wasn’t even supposed to kill me,” Harry said. “Just keep me there til You Know Who came.”

A pain shot through my body and I hissed. Hermione frowned. 

“You two are going to rest,” Hermione said. 

“Sure,” Harry said. “But where’s my wand?” 

Hermione hesitated. She pulled out a broken wand and I sucked my breath in.

“I’m sorry Harry I didn’t mean to!” She said.

“It’s not your fault,” he said. He crawled into the tent and I gave Hermione a half smile. She wiped her eyes and stayed outside to keep guard as I crawled into the tent to my bunk. The instant my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep.


	50. Chapter 50

“Harry?” Hermione asked softly.

He continued to look angrily at the wall, still bitter about Hermione breaking his wand. 

I handed him a cup of tea. 

“Thanks,” he said harshly.

“Do you mind if I talk to you?” Hermione asked softly.

“Yes,” he said. 

“Harry she’s got a book you will be interested in,” I said. “The guy in the picture is in here.”

He reluctantly turned to face us. 

“You’re not still mad at me, are you?” Hermione asked, her voice trembling.

“No,” Harry said. “It was an accident. Jules and I would be dead if you hadn’t gotten us out of there.”

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She opened the book and showed Harry a picture of Dumbledore and Grindelwald, the evil wizard before Voldemort. 

“They were friends?” Harry said. Hermione nodded.

We sat together and read the pages of the book Hermione had marked. By the end, Harry was more bitter than before. 

“Harry...” I said, turning to him. He looked angry. Of course anyone would be, if they found out the greatest “good” wizard of all time had been a pureblood supremacist.

“It’s Rita Skeeter writing-“ Hermione began.

“Did you read that letter to Grindelwald?” Harry snapped. 

“We did,” I snapped back. “And we think that’s the worst bit. I know Bathilda thought it was all talk, but ‘For the Greater Good’ became Grindelwald’s slogan, his justification for all the atrocities he committed later.”

“And...and,” Hermione stammered, “it looks like Dumbledore gave him that idea. They say ‘For the Greater Good’ was even carved over be entrance to Nurmengard.”

“What’s that?” Harry asked.

“The prison Grindelwald made to hold his opponents,” I said. “When Dumbledore caught him he ended up there.”

“I just can’t believe it,” Harry snarled. “Look what he asked from me! Risk your life, Harry! And again! And again! And don’t expect me to explain everything, just trust me blindly, trust that I know what I’m doing, trust me even though I don’t trust you! Never the whole truth! Never!”

He breathed heavily, and I felt a pang in my heart.

“He loved you,” Hermione said quietly. 

“I don’t know who he loved, Hermione, but it was never me,” Harry said. “Look at the mess he’s left me with! He shared a damn sight more of what he was really thinking with Grindelwald than he ever shared with me.”

Hermione’s hands shook nervously and we spilled her tea. It was absolutely silent in the tent.

“I think we should move,” I said. 

Harry and Hermione stared at me.

“We’ve been here too long. Whenever I go out hunting I feel someone watching us,” I said. “We should relocate.”

Hermione gulped. 

Within half an hour everything was packed in the little bags, and we Disapparated under the Invisibility Cloak to a location of my choosing. 

“Where are we?” Hermione asked when we arrived.

“The Forest of Dean,” I said. “My godmother had a cabin up here, I don’t know if it’s still here.”

We walked along a familiar path. Something inside me longed for the cabin not to be there, so memories wouldn’t flood back. The other part of me hoped it was there so we could have a better home. The tent was rather cold. 

We arrived to a clearing and Hermione’s face lit up.

“There it is!” She shrieked. “The cabin!”

Harry sprinted forward and Hermione and I followed. I opened the door and a raccoon sped out. 

I turned the lights on and sucked in my breath. 

Everything was exactly as we’d left it last time we were here, when I was 9. 

The chairs were stacked along the wall, the table cluttered with paint and parchment from when my godmother was teaching me to paint. The sink was still dripping, like it always had been. 

I walked into the sole room the cabin had. I smiled, seeing my pink blanket was still there. I climbed onto the top bunk and found a book.

“What’s that, Jules?” Hermione asked. I blew the dust off the book and opened it.

“It’s an album,” I said, my voice shaky. “T-There’s pictures of my dad...”

I had never seen this book before. Had my godmother left it there so I could see it when I was older? Why had this been hidden from me?

I flipped through the pages and smiled. A picture of my dad in front of the cabin. A picture of my dad holding me. A picture of my dad making me laugh. A picture of him changing my diaper. A picture of him kissing me. There was not a single picture of my mother. 

This just showed me that he really had been alive. I really had known him, but simply couldn’t remember. 

I didn’t notice I was crying until Hermione touched my shoulder softly. 

I cooked a simply dinner and we went to sleep, but before long I was awake again. 

“Jules,” Harry whispered, shaking me lightly.

“Hmm?” I mumbled. 

“Come with me,” he said. “I saw something.” 

I got up and rubbed my eyes. I put on my boots and my jacket and followed him outside.

“Why didn’t we wake Hermione?” I yawned.

“She had tear stains on her face,” Harry said. “She’s been crying about Ron again, she needs to rest.”

We walked out in front of the cabin.

“Look!” Harry said. I saw a source of light probably about 400 meters away.

“Harry...” I said. “That looks like a Patronus.” 

His mouth dropped open. He took off running, and I followed closely behind. 

We got close enough to notice it was in fact a Patronus- but it wasn’t just any Patronus, it was a doe.

We stopped about 100 meters from her.

“She’s beautiful,” I said. 

Harry nodded and took a step forward. The doe turned and trotted away.

We followed close behind, and had probably traveled a mile when she suddenly stopped and disappeared.

“Where did she go?” I asked fearfully.

“No idea,” Harry said. “Lumos!” 

In the new light, I saw what we’d been lead to.

“It’s a pond,” I observed. 

Harry took a step closer and looked down at the frozen water, gasping loudly. 

“Jules! It’s the sword of Gryffindor!” He cried. I rushed forward and kneeled down on the ice, looking down at the glistening sword. 

“Accio Sword!” I said. It didn’t budge, and I hadn’t expected it to.

“No, Jules,” Harry said. “I have to go retrieve it.” 

“You’re mental!” I cried. “That water is freezing!” 

“Well can’t you whip up something that’ll keep me warm?” He asked, a bit harshly.

“I could if you’ll be patient,” I said, equally snappishly. He nodded and sat down on the pool. 

After seemed like half an hour later, I had a potion ready and could see light rising above the trees. Dawn approached. 

“Diffindo,” I said, pointing my wand at the ice. It cracked loudly and a hole opened for Harry to slip through. 

“No need to remove your clothes, just drink this,” I said. 

He took the potion and chugged half of it down.

“Wait Harry the locket-“

He didn’t hear me in time, and he dived in. 

I banged on the ice.

“Harry! HARRY!” I screamed. 

And then it happened. I saw him thrashing wildly, clutching his throat. 

“Oh screw it I’m diving in,” I said, beginning to remove my jacket.

“No, I am!” I heard a voice say. I turned and saw Ron. 

“Ron!” I cried. He rushed forward to the hole.

“He’s resurfacing downstream- go make a hole in the ice,” he said. I went to where Harry was headed and made another hole in the ice. 

Harry grasped wildly for the edge of the new hole. Ron reached in and wrapped his arms around Harry, dragging him out. He wasn’t shivering, but the locket was stuck to his flesh.

“Get him fixed while I get the sword,” Ron said. I nodded and wrapped my hand around the locket, pulling hard on it. It wouldn’t bugde.

I grabbed my jacket and quickly took out a vial. I poured the liquid on Harry’s skin and it burned slightly, but the locket popped right off. I tore it off him and he gasped. Ron emerged from the water, the sword in his hand. He was shivering like mad. 

“Drink this,” I said, handing him the bit of potion left from what I’d made Harry. Immediately he stopped shivering. 

I waved my wand and dried both of their clothes. Harry heaved an unsteady breath and Ron dropped down to sit next to him.

”Are you mental?” He asked him. Harry looked up at him wildly.

“Why the hell,” Ron said breathlessly, “didn’t you take the locket off before diving?”

Harry just shook his head wildly.

“It was you?” Harry gasped. “You cast the doe?” 

Ron looked confused.

“What? My Patronus is a terrier,” he said. “I thought it was you doing it!”

“My Patronus is a stag!” Harry said.

“Oh yeah no antlers huh,” Ron said. 

There was a beat of silence.

“How come you’re here?” I asked quietly. 

“Well I’ve..come back,” Ron stammered. “If you still want me.”

“Of course we do,” I said, smiling at him. I knew Hermione would be pleased. 

“How did you find us?” Harry asked. 

“Long story,” Ron said. “I’ve been searching for you for hours, it’s a huge forest. There’s several cabins and I checked most but they’re all deserted.”

“We’ve got a cabin about a mile down that way,” I said. Ron smirked.

“Loads better than a tent,” he said. “Then I saw that deer and you two following it.”

“Did you see anyone else?” Harry asked.

“No,” Ron said. “I did think I saw something move over there but I was running to the pool at the time because you’d dived in and Jules screamed.”

“How did the sword even get in the pool?” I asked.

“Maybe the person who cast the Patronus put it there,” Harry said. 

Ron looked at the sword. 

“Reckon this is the real one?” He asked.

“Only one way to find out,” Harry said. I looked at the locket and frowned.

“Let’s destroy it,” I said. Ron handed me the sword but Harry shook his head.

“You do it Ron. Jules already destroyed one Horcrux. And you got the sword out,” Harry said. Ron’s eyes widened.

“Bloody hell when was that?” He asked.

“Two days ago,” I said. “We went to Godric’s Hollow, ran into Nagini. I killed her after she bit me.”

“She was great,” Harry beamed. 

Harry took the locket in his hands and spoke in Parseltongue. It snapped open.

“I can’t do this,” Ron said.

“Yes you can,” I urged. “Stab it!”

Ron hesitated then thrust the sword into the locket.

Then the Horcrux spoke

“I have seen your heart and it is mine...”

“Stab it Ron! Stab it!” I cried. He plunged the sword in again.

“I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have also seen your fears. All you desire is possible, but all that you dread is also possible...”

“Don’t listen to it!” Harry shouted.

“Least loved, by the mother who craved a daughter...Least loves by the girl who prefers your friend...Second best, always, eternally overshadowed....”

“Stab it! Stab it!” I cried as loud as I could. 

From the locket’s windows two figures appeared. Harry, and Hermione. Ron yelled. 

“Stab it!” I wailed.

“Why return?” The locket hissed from window Harry’s mouth. “We were better without you, happier without you! Glad of your absence...we laughed at your stupidity and cowardice, your presumption!”

“Presumption!” The locket Hermione said gleefully. “Who could look at you, who would ever look at you, beside Harry Potter? What have you ever done, compared with the Chosen One? What are you, compared with the Boy Who Lived?” 

“STAB IT!” Harry bellowed. Ron was simply holding the sword, staring in horror.

“Please, oh please stab it!” I sobbed. I didn’t want to hear the awful locket speak anymore.

“Your mother confessed!” Locket Harry sneered, “that she would have preferred me as a son, would be glad to exchange..”

“Mum would never do that!” I cried. “She took Harry and I in as her children separately! She would not replace you!”

Ron stabbed it again.

“Who wouldn’t prefer him?” Locket Hermione crooned. “What woman would take you, you are nothing, nothing, nothing to him...”

The locket figures of Harry and Hermione kissed.

“STAB IT!” I yelled. “FINISH IT OFF!”

With a might stab he finished the Horcrux off. It screeched loudly, then was silent.

Breathing heavily, Ron lowered the sword. 

I stared at him, tears in my eyes.

“After you left,” I said, my voice shaky, “she cried for a week, maybe even longer. Only she didn’t want us to see. Some nights we wouldn’t talk. She was miserable...”

“I love her like a sister,” Harry said. “And I reckon she feels the same about me. It’s always been like that, I thought you knew.”

“She’s liked you for ages Ron, she was waiting for you to make the first move,” I said quietly. Ron shivered.

“I’m sorry I left,” he croaked. 

“You made up for it tonight,” Harry said. “Getting the sword, finishing off the Horcrux, saving my life.”

Ron breathed heavily and stood up.

“Cmon, lets go back,” I said, standing up and touching his shoulder.

Harry and I led him back to the cabin. By now it was morning, and warmth had come across us. 

When we arrived I hurried inside.

“Hermione!” I said, shaking her.

“Hmm?” She asked, opening her eyes. She saw Ron and her mouth dropped open. He half smiled at her.

She launched herself from the bed and began punching him.

“Hermione!” Harry and I yelled. I pulled Hermione away and he pushed Ron to safety.

“You come back after weeks! Complete arse... I came running after you! I called you! I begged you to come back!” She said, her voice cracking.

”I’m sorry-“ 

“Oh you’re sorry?” Hermione asked, with a shrill laugh. “You come back after weeks and you think it’s all going to be all right if you say sorry?” 

“I wanted to come back the minute I’d Disapparated, but I walked straight into a gang of Snatchers!” Ron said. 

“A gang of what?” Harry asked. 

“Snatchers!” Ron said. “They’re everywhere. Gangs trying to earn gold by rounding up Muggle borns and blood traitors, there’s a reward from the Ministry for everyone captured. I was on my own and looked school age so they got excited thinking I was a Muggle born in hiding. I had to talk fast to get out of it.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Told em I was Stan Shunpike!” He said. “They weren’t the brightest, they even argued about me being him and I had to disarm them and Disapparate and I splinched myself.”

“Well we’ve had a grand time!” Hermione said. She told him about how I’d watched my house burned down, disappeared for three days, how we went to Godric’s Hollow and got attacked. 

“How did you even find us tonight?” I cut in.

“This,” he said, taking out the Deluminator.

“What?” Hermione asked sharply.

“It doesn’t just turn the lights on and off,” Ron said. “I don’t know how it works or why it happened then and not any other time, because I’ve been wanting to come back since I left. But I was listening to the radio really early on Christmas morning and I heard...you.”

Hermione looked taken aback.

“What did I say?” She asked.

“My name. Ron. And you said something about a wand,” he said. She turned quite red and looked away.

“So I took it out,” Ron continued. “And it didn’t seem different or anything but I was sure I’d heard you. So I clicked it. And the lights went out in my room but another light appeared right outside the window. It was a ball of light, kind of pulsing, and bluish, like that light you get around a Portkey, you know?”

“Yeah,” Harry, Hermione, and I said at once.

“I knew this was it,” Ron said. “I grabbed my stuff and packed it, then I put on my rucksack and went out into the garden. The little ball of light was hovering, waiting for me and I followed it behind the shed and it went inside me. Then I knew what I needed to do.”

“And you arrived here, eventually,” I said. Ron nodded. 

“Then I saw the doe-“

“What doe?” Hermione asked.

We explained what had happened with the Horcrux. 

She looked impressed, but still bitter with Ron. 

“Well that’s that,” she said. “I’d like to go see Xenophilius Lovegood tomorrow.”

“What for?” I asked. 

“To ask him about the symbol,” Hermione said.

“Come on I know where it’s from I just need to remember,” I said, taking a piece of parchment and drawing it. Why was it so damn familiar? 

“Oh I know that,” Ron said. “I was thinking about it too...it’s the Deathly Hallows.”


	51. Chapter 51

“But the Deathly Hallows can’t exist, Ron!” Hermione yelled in exasperation.

“Harry’s literally got the cloak!” I protested.

“The Tale of the Three Brothers is a story!” Hermione said. “A story of how humans are scared of death. If surviving were as simple as hiding under the Cloak, we’d have everything we need already!”

“We certainly could do with an unbeatable wand,” Harry said. 

“There’s no such thing, Harry!” Hermione said.

“You said there have been loads of wands,” Ron said. “The Deathstick and whatever they were called-“

“All right even if you want to kid yourself the Elder Wand’s real, what about the Resurrection Stone?” She asked. “No magic can raise the dead!”

“Excuse you,” I said. “I consider my potion absolute magic through alchemy.”

Hermione stared at me with narrow eyes.

Then Harry’s eyes widened.

“Dumbledore had the Cloak the night my parents died!” He said. 

“What?” I asked incredulously.

“My mum told Sirius that Dumbledore borrowed the Cloak! This is why!” Harry said. “He wanted to examine it because he thought it was the third Hallow! Ignotus Peverell is buried in Godric’s Hollow... he’s my ancestor! I’m descended from the third brother! It all makes sense!”

Hermione hesitated.

“Dumbledore doesn’t need the Cloak to become invisible,” I recalled. “I know how to perform that spell. Why would he need the Cloak unless...”

Harry gasped loudly and grabbed the Snitch.

“IT MUST BE IN HERE!” He said excitedly. “He left me the ring, it’s in the Snitch!” 

Then he turned deathly serious and looked at us. I suddenly understood.

“You Know Who is after the Elder Wand,” I realized. Harry nodded.

“If the Deathly Hallows really existed and Dumbledore knew about them, knew the person who possessed all three of them would be master of Death- why didn’t he tell you?” Hermione asked. 

“We’ve got to find out about them ourselves!” Harry said. “It’s a Quest! Come on Hermione, why are you so determined not to admit it? Vol-“

“HARRY NO!” Ron and I cried.

“-demort’s after the Elder Wand!” 

“The name’s Taboo!” Ron bellowed. The Sneakoscope began to spin and light up.

“Oh my God we’ve got company,” I said fearfully. 

Voices and footsteps drew near.

“Come out with your hands up!” A voice called. “We know you’re in there! You’ve got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don’t care who we curse!” 

Hermione quickly cast a Stinging Jinx on Harry to distort his face. 

”Harry I am going to murder you,” I snarled as we all stepped out with or hands in the air.

”Search the tent!” Another voice yelled as we exited. 

I gasped in horror when I looked up and saw Fenrir Greyback looking down at me. 

“Let’s see who we got,” he said. “What’s your name?”

“Vernon. Vernon Dudley,” Harry said immediately. 

“Check the list Scabior,” Greyback said. “And what about you, Ginger?”

“Barny Weasley,” Ron said.

“A Weasley?” Greyback rasped. “So you’re related to blood traitors even if you’re not a Mudblood.” 

Greyback came closer to me.

“You don’t look English,” he said. “You look..French...or Italian.” 

“I’m Elizabeth Bisset,” I said immediately. 

“Bisset? I know a werewolf that’s a Bisset....” Greyback said. I gulped.

“M-My uncle S-Sanders,” I said. 

When I was very little my uncle had become a werewolf. My mother had cut off all ties from him in fear he would bite me. We never spoke of him. I prayed Greyback didn’t knew Sanders was related to my mum.

“That be the very one,” he said with a chuckle. He turned to Hermione. “Who are you?”

“Penelope Clearwater,” Hermione said confidently.

“Blood status?”

“Half blood,” she said. 

“Easy to check,” Scabior said. “But the whole lot of them look Hogwarts age.”

“We left,” Ron said. 

“Have you?” Greyback asked. “And you decided to go camping and use the Dark Lord’s name for a laugh?”

“Accident,” Ron said quickly. 

“You know who liked using the Dark Lord’s name? The Order of the Phoenix,” Greyback said. He came closer and looked fiercely at me. “Mean anything to you?”

“No,” I said. 

“You’re sure?” He asked. 

“Positive,” I said. He huffed. 

He grabbed me and tossed me over with the other prisoners.

“There’s no Vernon Dudley on here Greyback. Or an Elizabeth Bisset,” Scabior said. 

“Interesting. What House are you in?” Greyback asked.

“Slytherin,” Harry and I said automatically. 

“Funny how they all think we want to hear that,” Scabior said. “But no one can tell us where the common room is.”

“It’s in the dungeons,” Harry said immediately. “You enter through the wall.”

“Password is Pureblood,” I added. “You can see the lake from there, all the light is green.”

”looks like we have caught some Slytherins,” Greyback said. 

“Look at this Greyback!” A voice called from inside the tent. The man walked out with the sword of Gryffindor.

Shit. 

“And a copy of the Prophet,” the man said. 

Greyback took the newspaper from him. 

“Hermione Granger,” he read. “The Mudblood who is known to be traveling with Harry Potter.” 

He looked at Hermione and smiled cruelly. Then he turned to me.

“And what’s this? Juliana Romano, the blood traitor also known to be traveling with Harry Potter.”

We were done for. 

“This looks an awful lot like you two girls,” Greyback said, licking his lips. “And ugly over here might be Harry Potter...”

”Let’s take them to Malfoy Manor!” Scabior said.

The Snatchers grabbed the trio and threw them were I was. We were all prisoners now. 

We were Disapparated straight into Malfoy Manor. My heart was beating heavily in my chest.

“We’ve got Potter!” Greyback announced. 

Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy suddenly descended from the staircase down into the hall where Greyback had Apparated us into. Narcissa looked at me sadly. 

“M-My son Draco is home,” Narcissa said. “He will know if that is Harry Potter.”

“Draco!” Lucius Malfoy called. He looked at me, and I could swear he gave me a half smile. 

Draco descended the staircase. I looked at him with wide eyes. He gasped when he saw me. 

“Well Draco?” Lucius asked. “Is it Harry Potter?”

Draco walked forward to look at Harry. He shot me a look and hesitated.

“I can’t be sure,” he said.

“Draco if we’re the ones who hand over Potter to the Dark Lord all will be forgiven,” Lucius said.

Draco looked again and shook his head.

“We had better be certain, Lucius,” Narcissa said. “Completely sure that is is Potter before we summon the Dark Lord.” 

She gulped and took the wands they’d taken from us.

“They say this is his but it doesn’t resemble Ollivander’s description,” she said. “If we are mistaken, if we call the Dark Lord here for nothing...”

“What about the Mudblood then?” Greyback snarled.

Narcissa hesitated. 

“Wait...yes,” Narcissa said. “I saw her picture in the Prophet! Look Draco isn’t that the Granger girl?”

Draco bit his lip.

“Maybe yeah...”

“And then that’s the Weasley boy!” Narcissa said.

“It could be..”

Greyback hissed.

“And this girl, boy,” he said. “Isn’t this your pretty little girlfriend?”

Draco looked at me straight in the eyes.

“No. My girlfriend had b-blue eyes,” he said. 

Greyback roared with laughter.

“Don’t play with me boy!” He said. “The Dark Lord showed us her picture in the Prophet- this is her!”

Draco looked at me again and shook his head.

“What’s happened, Cissy?” I heard a voice call from upstairs. 

Bellatrix Lestrange appeared from the top of the staircase. She rushed down.

“This is the Mudblood girl! This is Granger!” She said. She turned to me and licked her lips. “And this is that blood traitor Romano girl! Oh Dolohov will be pleased...”

Bellatrix turned to Draco.

“This is your girlfriend, isn’t it?” She asked. 

“No it’s not,” Draco said firmly. Bellatrix cackled.

“Don’t lie, Draco! I know this is her!” Bellatrix said. “Dolohov described her exactly! I’ve seen her before! Do you not see how much she resembles her filthy, blood traitor father? Dolohov said they looked alike! He’ll be so pleased to know he can use that terrible curse on this filthy girl just like he did on that worthless father of hers-“

“Shut up!” I snapped. “Shut up about my father!”

Draco’s eyes widened. Bellatrix looked at me odiously. 

She slapped me so hard my head swung to the side. 

My cheek was on fire, and I was breathing hard. 

“I cannot believe you associate yourself with such filth, Draco!” Bellatrix snarled.

“She’s a pureblood!” Draco spat. 

“She’s a blood traitor!” Bellatrix hissed.

“She helped me with my task last year!” Draco said.

“She KILLED Yaxley! Thicknesse told us so!” Bellatrix said. 

Another slap came, this time on the other cheek. 

Then suddenly Bellatrix’s eyes fixated on something else. 

“What is that?” She asked slowly.

“Sword,” Scabior said.

“Give it to me!” She snarled. 

“It’s not yorn, missus, it’s mine-“

“Stupefy! Stupefy!” Bellatrix screamed.

The Snatchers behind us collapsed. Bellatrix took the sword.

“Where did you get this sword?” She asked Greyback. “Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!”

Bellatrix lifted Greyback into the air with her wand and dropped him. 

“Draco move this scum outside,” Bellatrix said. “If you haven’t got the guts to finish them, then leave them in the courtyard for me.”

“Don’t you dare speak to Draco like that!” Narcissa said furiously.

“Shut up, Cissy!” Bellatrix said. “We have a very serious problem. If it is indeed Potter, he must not be harmed. The Dark Lord wishes to dispose of him himself.”

She turned to Greyback. 

“Take the prisoners to the cellar!” She demanded.

“This is my house, Bella-“

“You have no idea the danger we’re in!” Bellatrix shrieked. Narcissa hesitated. 

“Take them to the cellar,” Narcissa said. Bellatrix held her hand up.

“Wait,” she said. “All except for the Mudblood and that bloodtraitor girl.”

Ron and Harry began to yell.

“Take me instead!” Ron yelled. “Leave them alone!” 

Bellatrix slapped him.

“If the Mudblood dies under questioning, I’ll take you next!” She said. 

The Snatchers grabbed Harry and Ron and the rest of the prisoners and began dragging them down as they screamed.

“Oi, Bellatrix!” Greyback called. “Let me have a bite of that bloodtraitor girl when you’re finished. I’m sure she’ll taste delicious!”

I saw Draco tense up and begin to breathe heavily. I looked at him and my eyes began to water.

Bellatrix lunged forward and grabbed it Hermione and I by the hair. She threw me aside harshly and pinned Hermione to the ground. She took out a knife and pressed it to her neck.

“Where did you get the sword?” She asked slowly. 

“We found it! We found it, PLEASE!” Hermione screamed.

Bellatrix dung the knife slightly into her throat and began to trace a line across it.

I jumped up and tackled her. Bellatrix grabbed me at the last second and threw me as hard as she could across the room. 

“How DARE you?” She snapped. She stood up and took her wand out.

“CRUCIO! CRUCIO!” She screamed. 

I writhed in pain on the floor, my screams echoing across the walls. I saw Narcissa cover her mouth and suppress a sob. Draco stared furiously at Bellatrix and his father reached out to hold him back. 

Bellatrix turned back to Hermione.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!” I screamed. 

She turned back and stared at me. 

“Leave her alone?” She said. She turned and we both noticed Hermione was unconscious. 

“In that case, I will take you,” she said.

She launched herself at me and pinned me to the ground, pressing the knife and her wand under my chin. 

“Tell the truth,” she said wickedly. “You’ve been inside my vault at Gringotts, haven’t you?”

“Obviously not!” I snarled. “You’d know if we had-“

“CRUCIO!” Bellatrix screamed. The spell hit me again with even more force. She got off me and raised the knife in the air. She brought it down forcefully on my stomach.

I screamed so loudly Narcissa burst into tears. Bellatrix removed the knife and stabbed me again, right above the first spot. I saw Draco try and lunge to help me but his father pulled him back again. 

“What else did you take?” Bellatrix asked. “What ELSE? ANSWER ME!”

“NOTHING!” I cried. “We weren’t even there-“

“LIAR! CRUCIO!” 

She stabbed me twice more as the Cruciatus Curse sent even more pain through my body. My vision began to blur. 

“How did you get into my vault?” Bellatrix screamed. “Did that dirty goblin in the cellar help you?”

“I’ve never seen him before!” I wailed. “Please- PLEASE!”

She stabbed me again, this time slicing the knife across the wound. I spit more blood out and cried harder. I had five stab wounds now... 

“IT’S JUST A COPY!” I screamed. “A COPY!”

Bellatrix got off me and laughed.

“A copy? Likely story!” Bellatrix jeered.

“B-But we can find out easily!” Lucius stammered. “Draco fetch the goblin from the cellar!” 

Draco looked at me sadly, his expression mixed with rage, and rushed down to the cellar.

My vision became blurry. I breathed heavily, feeling my life slowly escaping my body. 

Draco came back a moment later with the goblin.

“Is it real?” Bellatrix asked. 

The goblin took it in his hands.

“No,” he said. “It’s a fake.”

Harry must’ve convinced him to lie! 

“Good,” Bellatrix cackled. “And now we call the Dark Lord!”

She pressed her Dark Mark. 

I breathed unsteadily and gasped for more air.

Bellatrix turned to me.

“I think Greyback can take the girl if he wants,” she said. Draco lunged forward but right at that moment, Ron and Harry burst in.

There was a commotion. Bellatrix lunged forward and grabbed me, picking me up and holding her wand to my throat.

“STOP OR SHE DIES!” She screamed.

Harry and Ron stopped and stared at me wide eyed. 

“Drop your wands,” Bellatrix said. “Or we’ll kill her and then see how filthy the Mudblood’s blood really is!”

Harry dropped his wand and Harry followed. Bellatrix cackled.

“You know, I think we should try something,” she cackled. “Your death approaches, Harry Potter. Wouldn’t you like a demonstration of that? Maybe then we can see if Romano’s Resurrection Potion really does work.”

Harry breathed heavily. I was seeing everything blurry...

Bellatrix cackled again and hoisted me up.

“Draco, kill her,” she ordered. 

Draco shook his head. 

“I won’t!” He snarled. “That is my girlfriend and I love her!”

“DO IT, DRACO! NOW!” Bellatrix screamed. 

He shook his head again.

”YOU COWARD!” Bellatrix yelled. “You disgust me, falling in love with a blood traitor! You’re willing to give up your name, your reputation, for a girl who is unworthy? You are an idiot!” 

“Don’t talk to my son that way!” Narcissa screamed.

Bellatrix screamed in rage. She threw me down on the ground and took her knife out again. She rummaged in my pocket and found the vials. 

“I knew you’d be carrying that potion around!” She said gleefully.

She searched and after a few seconds, found it. 

“LEAVE HER ALONE!” Draco snarled.

Bellatrix turned to him. She smiled evilly. She picked me up, my body limp. She handed me to him. I felt his arms wrap around me.

“You’re going to be ok,” he whispered, kissing my cheek. Bellatrix screamed.

“Draco you disgust me!” She snarled. She gripped the vial tightly. She looked at me and her eyes were absolutely wild...

“I will kill her to demonstrate to little baby Potter what’s going to happen to him!” Bellatrix said. “Then we’ll feed her the potion and torture her again and make her watch Potter die!” 

Draco was breathing heavily. He held me tightly. 

Bellatrix pointed her wand at me. 

Then she looked at Draco. A smile curled on her lips.

“Don’t choose a bloodtraitor next time, Draco,” she snarled. 

She threw the vial onto the floor where it shattered into a million pieces. I could hardly see clearly anymore, I’d bled out so much. 

“Bellatrix what are you doing?” Narcissa asked fearfully. Bellatrix cackled.

“Making sure you don’t end up with a blood traitor as your daughter in law!” She said. She pointed her wand at me again.

“Avada Kedavra!”

The flash of green light hit me. All I heard was Draco, Harry, and Ron screaming before my world turned pitch black.


	52. Chapter 52

Then the pain was gone. I could feel every muscle in my body. Not a single bit of it burned, or caused me to groan as I rolled over and sat up. 

All I could see was beauty. 

There was a lake, and within it were the most beautiful swans I’d ever seen. Deer grazed by the grass around it. Birds flew in the air. There were so many trees, filled with ripe fruit. The sky was a dazzling blue, the water crystal clear. There was nothing dying here. 

And there were people.

People of all kinds, young and old. There were quite a few old people roaming around but they weren’t REALLY old- they moved with the agility of a teenager. 

There were children, small toddlers, young teenagers, even newborns. They played with the little pups and kittens jumping in the grass.

I felt a hand touch my shoulder. 

I turned around and gasped. 

Before me stood a young man. He had brown, curly hair, and the most dazzling brown-green eyes...just like mine. His skin was fair, and he had a beautiful smile. He opened his arms.

”Juliana....” he said. “I get to meet you at last.” 

I jumped into his arms and hugged him tight.

”Daddy...” I whimpered, burrowing my face in his chest as I burst into tears. He hugged me tightly and rubbed my back.

”My baby...you’re so grown,” he said. I sniffed and wiped my eyes. 

He turned serious.

”You’re much too young to be here,” he said. “I didn’t expect to meet you this soon...but when I saw what was going on down below I came to wait. Your mother is so worried, she’s at the house.” 

“Mum?” I asked. “House?”

Dad nodded and smiled.

”We all have homes here, even the animals,” he said. “Bet you didn’t imagine Heaven would have both people and animals.”

”No I didn’t,” I said. “Are you all friends here? You, the Potters..”

”Yes,” he said. “The Potters live next door to us, actually. And Sirius lives on the other side.”

I gulped. He shrugged.

”I could never be angry at your mother for beginning to fall in love with him,” he said. “Imagine being without your loved one for 15 years? Even I might have eventually wanted to fall in love again.”

”I don’t know,” I said. “I wouldn’t replace Draco.” 

Dad chuckled.

”Yes that boy...he’s quite a good fellow if I do say so myself,” he said. “He’s treated you well, and he really cares about you. I remember when he came in here I was shocked to see him. So I gave him a hug to thank him for being so good to you despite all the internal trouble he was going through.” 

“He was a bit confused,” I said. “I never did tell him he died.” 

“And I’m glad you didn’t,” Dad said. “That would’ve come as an enormous shock to him.”

There was a silence.

”Can I see what’s going on right now?” I asked. “Down there?”

Dad nodded.

”Certainly. From the moment you disappeared or slightly before?” He asked. 

“You can rewind the event?” I asked curiously. Dad nodded. 

“I’d like to see that then,” I said. Dad tapped my head with his fingers. 

_Immediately, I was standing at the scene._

_“You were there the whole time, right?” I asked. Bellatrix had just handed me to Draco._

_”Naturally,” he said. “Just as your spirit escaped your body I caught it and put it upright so you wouldn’t land on the floor like I did. That would’ve been a little scary.”_

_I turned back to the scene._

_“Making sure you don’t end up with a blood traitor as your daughter in law!” Bellatrix said._

_She pointed her wand at me again._

_“Avada Kedavra!”_

_The flash of green light hit the me in the scene. My body crumpled in Draco’s arms. He yelled and caught me, sinking to his knees and cradling me in his arms._

_”WHAT DID YOU DO?!” He howled at Bellatrix, pointing his wand at her. “CRUCIO!”_

_Bellatrix screeched and writhed on the floor._

_”Draco!” Narcissa wailed. She rushed forward and touched my face tenderly with her hands._

_Draco yelled in desperation and held my head in his chest. He sobbed and squeezed my body tightly._

_There was a sound above. The chandelier came crashing down and Draco barely had time to roll over and pull me out of the way before it crashed down over us._

_Dobby leapt from the chandelier. Bellatrix stood up in rage and threw a knife at him. Draco leapt up and stood in front of Dobby, the knife piercing his side._

_Narcissa screamed. Ron lunged to grab Hermione and went back to Harry. Dobby grabbed their hands and with a crack they Disapparated._

_”DRACO!” Narcissa wailed, holding her son in her arms. She stared at Bellatrix with loathing._

_“How could you?” She screamed. Bellatrix merely rolled her eyes._

_“He jumped in front of the knife!” Bellatrix said. Then she looked alarmed._

_”The Dark Lord is coming and Potter is gone!” She wailed._

_“I don’t care! Look what you did to Draco and Juliana!” Narcissa shouted._

_“Don’t tell me you care for that wretched girl, Cissy!” Bellatrix snarled. “The Dark Lord will kill us!”_

_The door burst open, and Voldemort himself walked in. He walked past my father and I and came upon Bellatrix._

_“Where is Potter, Bella?” He asked._

_”That bloody house elf of Narcissa’s helped him escape!” She shrieked. Voldemort pressed his wand to Bellatrix’s throat._

_”You have failed me!” He snarled._

_”I did not, My Lord!” She wailed. “I bore you a child, I protected your treasures! This is not my fault!”_

_I turned to look at my dad. He motioned for me to follow him. We went up the stairs of Malfoy Manor and into one of the rooms._

_Inside was a baby, a harmless baby, sleeping in a cradle._

_“This isn’t good,” I said. “This will not go well at all.”_

_”It won’t,” Dad said. “It might just be up to you to fix it.”_

_“I’m not going to kill a baby!” I said._

_“And I’m not asking you to,” he said. “You can do something completely different that would result in a much better life for the baby. Have her be adopted by someone!”_

_I stared at the baby. It cooed lightly as it slept._

_”It’s a girl,” Dad said. “They’ve named her Delphi.”_

_I walked closer and peered into the cradle. She was adorable._

_“That poor baby,” I said._

_My dad was no longer paying attention. He had stepped out of the room and was looking down at the scene._

_I walked to join him._

_Voldemort was no longer there. Bellatrix was sobbing in despair on the floor._

_Narcissa had removed the knife from Draco. She was pouring a greenish liquid- probably the vial I’d labelled with dittany._

_Draco gasped and woke up. I sped down the stairs and went to kneel next to him._

_He turned to look at the dead me on the floor. He burst into tears._

_”She killed her, she killed her!” He sobbed. He got up and went to where my body was. He touched my face softly. He wrapped his arms around me and picked me up._

_“Draco, what are you doing?” Narcissa asked. “She’s dead, we can’t bring her back...”_

_“Yes we can!” Draco said. “Her birthday is going to be soon, mother, this is the best gift I can give her.”_

_Bellatrix cackled._

_”You cannot bring her back!” She said. “I destroyed the potion!”_

_”But I still know how to make it,” he snarled. Bellatrix’s eyes got wide._

_With a crack, Draco Disapparated._

_“Draco! Draco!” Narcissa screamed. Bellatrix stomped on the floor ragefull._

_”Where did he go?” I asked my dad. He shrugged._

_”He could’ve gone anywhere,” he said. “But I’ve been observing him...he figured out how to make the potion within a few hours instead of months. You’ll be back before you know it.”_

_He tapped my head again and we were back in Heaven._

The place was beautiful, as always. 

“Can we go see mum now?” I asked. Dad nodded. 

“Come this way,” he said.

We walked across the valley. I saw more people laughing and playing. I swear we walked past Dumbledore at one point and then he just vanished! 

When we got into the neighborhood every childhood fantasy of my dream house came alive. 

The houses were luxurious, large and full of life. There were infinite houses going down the road, all equally beautiful. 

People were dancing and singing in the streets, enjoying this second life. 

“Right here,” Dad said. He opened the door and I walked in. I was immediately ambushed.

”Jules!” My mother said, rushing forward and hugging me. I pressed her close to me. 

“I missed you so much,” I said, tears coming to my eyes. “You didn’t even say goodbye!” 

She pulled away from me to reveal she was also crying. 

“I’m so sorry, baby,” she said. “I would’ve said goodbye if I could’ve.” 

She hugged me tight again.

”Your father and I have been watching over you,” she said. “And we’re so, so proud.” 

“When you went to the Ministry and fought those Death Eaters?” Dad said. “Absolutely incredible. When that table smashed your leg and you still kept walking I felt a surge of pride greater than anything before.” 

“When you used that Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix,” Mum said, “it was gruesome but I was thinking ‘that’s my girl!’” 

“And when you finished that Resurrection Potion? Holy cow was I impressed!” Dad said. 

“Yes, that was so brilliant!” Mum said. “And when you stuck by Draco those long months supporting him...I knew right away I raised you right.” 

I brushed some tears away from my eyes.

”And healing George’s ear!” Dad said. “That wasn’t even supposed to be possible but you did it anyway!” 

I smiled and hugged my Dad. He wrapped one of his arms around me, and the other around my mom, pulling me in for a group hug. 

“Let’s go visit the Potters!” Mum said excitedly. 

We exited the house and swooped over next door. Inside the house were Lily and James Potter, sitting at a table with Sirius.

”Jules!” Sirius said. He came over to hug me. Lily and James got up and came to greet me.

”How can we ever thank you for helping Harry so much?” Lily said. She hugged me tight. 

“He misses you so much,” I said. “You need to find a way to visit him.” 

Lily stifled a sob.

”We will try,” James said. Sirius smiled. 

“Look at you, Jules,” Sirius said. “All grown up.” 

“I wish she’d had a chance to grow more,” Mum said solemnly.

”Oh she will,” Dad said. “Draco will be bringing her back to life any minute.” 

“How will I be able to tell when I’m going back?” I asked.

”No idea,” Sirius said. “But you’ll know. I know you’ll be able to say goodbye.”

”How about we say hi to the Prewetts?” Lily suggested. 

“That sounds like a marvelous idea-“

”Wait,” I said. “I need to find Dumbledore.”

Everyone stared at me.

”Dumbledore keeps avoiding everyone,” Dad said quietly. “You won’t find him.” 

“Well I need to talk to him before I leave,” I said. “Please.” 

“Jules-“

I walked out the door and ran down the valley.

”Jules! Jules!”

I continued running to where I’d seen Dumbledore. And he was there.

”Dumbledore!” I called. He looked at me.

”Please, you’ve got to help us!” I said. “We-We need an explanation! The Hallows are real, aren’t they?” 

He looked at me and nodded. Then he vanished.

”Jules!” Dad said, appearing behind me and gripping my shoulder. 

I looked down at my hands. I gasped, seeing them becoming transparent.

”She’s being called back into the other world!” Lily said. 

I looked at my parents wide eyed. I was fading away at a fast rate.

”Tell Harry we love him!” Lily and James said.

”You guys can win this,” Sirius said, smiling at me.

My mother and father rushed forward and tried to pulled me into a hug. Their arms went right through me. 

My mum’s eyes welled up with tears. My father put his arm around her and sighed. 

“Goodbye, baby,” Mum said sadly. “I love you. You can do this.” 

I nodded and looked at my dad. I was almost completely faded away. 

“I’m so proud of you, Jules,” he said, a tear running down his cheek. “Until we meet again.” 

I started crying. I rushed forward to try and touch my parents one last time, but it was too late. My outstretched hands went right through them and Heaven, beautiful beautiful Heaven, faded to black.


	53. Chapter 53

I woke up and immediately felt pain again. I looked down and saw my bare stomach, with scars indicating where I’d been stabbed. They seemed to have been closed for awhile. 

I heard a noise and turned. I realized I was in Draco’s room. 

He came in and dropped the book he was holding. He rushed over and touched my face. He kissed me wildly, all across my face. 

“You’re alive!” He said. 

“How long has it been since I died?” I asked. 

“About a week and a half,” Draco said. “I brought you back to life within an hour but I had to heal all your injuries and you simply wouldn’t wake up.”

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

“You kept mumbling,” he said. “Something about your parents.”

I smiled, tears forming in my eyes.

“I saw them,” I said. “I met my dad. I came back and saw what happened after I died. Bellatrix- she and Voldemort have a daughter.” 

Draco nodded grimly. 

“My mum and I have been trying to figure out what we’re going to do with her,” he said. “My mother kicked Bellatrix out- she’s not allowed to live here anymore. Of course she could care less about the baby so she left her here.” 

“My dad said maybe we could have someone else adopt her,” I said. Draco nodded. Then he looked at me.

“Did I die?” He asked. 

I nodded slowly.

“You did,” I admitted. “And you saw my dad. He and my mom adore you, they’d have loved to get to know you.” 

Draco smiled. 

“I’m glad your dad approves,” he said. “I wish we could find a way to bring him back at least so he could walk you down the aisle at our wedding.” 

I laughed and looked at him.

“You’re not seriously thinking about that at a time like this, are you?” I asked. He shrugged.

“I mean you won’t be going back anytime soon-“

“I have to,” I cut in. “I really do. I can’t stay cooped up here waiting to fully recover. They need me.” 

“But you could get hurt again!” Draco said. 

“And if I die you’ll just bring me back,” I said. “Dying is really not bad. Heaven is so beautiful, the houses...the valley...”

Draco gulped.

“If I have to see you die again...” he croaked. “I’ll just have to die with you. Heaven sounds a whole lot better than this world here. There we could be together in that beautiful place...”

“No Draco you couldn’t just give up like that!” I said. “How could you even say that? I’d love to be with my parents in Heaven but I still have so much left to do here!” 

Draco swallowed hard and nodded.

“Would you like me to contact your friends so they can come get you?” He asked. I nodded. 

“If you could please,” I said. He half smiled and stood up.

“Watch this,” he said. “Expecto Patronum!” 

A stallion burst out of his wand.

“You can make a Patronus!” I squealed. He smiled.

“All I have to do is think of you,” he said. He turned to the stallion. “Tell them this: It’s Draco Malfoy. Jules is back, and she’d like to return with you to complete your mission. Apparate to Malfoy Manor, it is safe.” 

The stallion neighed and trotted away in a cloud of silver mist. 

Draco came and laid down next to me, turning to face me. He looked at my bare stomach, then my chest, then my face.

“Not right now,” I said, blushing. 

“No no definitely not,” he said, though he turned scarlet. “Are you hungry?”

“Surprisingly no,” I said. He shrugged. He came closer and kissed me.

“I don’t want you to go,” he whispered. 

“And I don’t want to leave,” I said. “But I have to.” 

He sat up. He got off the bed and went to a drawer. He pulled out three vials of what I knew to be the Resurrection Potion.

“You need this more than I do,” he said, handing them to me. “And the secret was basil.”

Of course it was basil! Basil speeds up reactions. I was an idiot! 

“Thank you,” I said. 

There was a neigh. The stallion came back.

“It delivered the message,” Draco said. “You should get your shirt on.” 

I got off the bed and bent down to get my shirt. My stomach hurt a bit but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. I trusted Draco had patched me up well. I put my shirt on then threw my jacket over it, dropping the vials into my pocket. 

Draco came over and kissed me hard on the lips. 

“I will see you as soon as I can,” he said. “I don’t care where, but I will see you. And when this is over I will marry you, and we’ll- we’ll be happy.” 

I smiled and kissed him again. 

There was a crack and Hermione appeared. 

“Oh Jules!” She wailed, coming to hug me. 

“Hermione,” I said, throwing my arms around her. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine!” She said. “Y-You were dead! They told me!” 

“Well I’m back thanks to Draco,” I said proudly. Hermione, looking at the verge of tears, ran towards Draco and hugged him.

“Thank you for bringing her back,” she said. Draco reluctantly hugged her back.

“Er- um no problem Grang- I mean Hermione,” he said. She smiled and came to take my hand. 

“Bye Draco,” I said. “Thank you. I love you.” 

He waved at me. Hermione spun on the spot and suddenly, we landed in a clearing near a lake.

“Jules!” Harry cried. 

He and Ron ambushed me.

“Harry!” I said. “Your parents say hi. And Dumbledore said the Hallows DO really exist. I-I met my dad!”

“And I bet he was so proud of you,” Hermione said. I smiled. Harry became serious.

“I know you just got back and all but we need to move. The last Horcrux is at Hogwarts,” he said. 

“How do you know?” I asked.

“Well we stole Hufflepuff’s Cup from the Lestrange vault but Griphook took the sword. He knows we know about Horcruxes now and he’s going to Hogwarts to check on the last one,” Harry explained. I gasped.

“You broke into GRINGOTTS?” I asked. Ron nodded.

“Why did I have to die, that sounds so fun!” I said.

“It really wasn’t,” Ron said. I rolled my eyes and smiled. 

“Are we ready then?” I asked. 

“Yes,” Harry said. “Let’s Apparate under the Cloak. To Hogsmeade.”

We huddled under the Cloak and turned on the spot. We landed in Hogsmeade, and alarms immediately went off. 

Death Eaters surrounded us before we even got a chance to move.

“Accio Cloak!” One of them yelled. 

I gripped onto the Cloak. It didn’t even try to leave. 

“Not under your wrapper then, Potter?” One of the Death Eaters snarled. “Spread out, he’s here.”

“Let’s just leave!” Hermione said. “Disapparate now!”

“We know you’re here, Potter, and there’s no getting away! We will find you!” A Death Eater yelled.

“They’ve put up a trap to catch us,” I said. “Then might have one to stop us from leaving.”

“We can’t risk it,” Hermione said glumly.

“What about dementors?” A Death Eater called. “Let em have free reign, they’ll find him quickly enough!”

I looked at Harry. He looked afraid.

“We have to try and Disapparate!” Hermione insisted. She turned on the spot. Nothing happened.

“I knew they’d trapped us here!” I said. 

Suddenly the air became cold. 

I turned and saw about a dozen dementors being released on the street. 

“Oh my God,” I said in a high pitched voice that normally didn’t belong to me.

“Expecto Patronum!” Harry said.

“No!” I hissed.

The stag burst out of his wand and trampled the oncoming dementors.

“It’s him down there! Down there! I saw his Patronus!” A voice called.

“Potter, in here, keep quiet!” Another voice said. I turned and saw the owner of the Hogs Head urging us in. I shoved Harry inside and Hermione and Ron followed.

“Upstairs, keep the Cloak on, and stay quiet!” The man said. 

We scurried upstairs.

Death Eaters ran up to the door.

“I go to put my cat out and see dementors! You send dementors down my street, I’ll send a Patronus back at em!” The man who saved us yelled. Let’s call him barman. 

“That wasn’t your Patronus, that was Potter’s!” One of the Death Eaters protested. “That was a stag!”

“Stag?” The barman said. “Idiot! Expecto Patronum! That is a goat!”

“I still say I saw a stag Patronus!” The other Death Eater said.

“It’s a goat!” The barman roared.

“Fine we made a mistake!” The Death Eater said. “Break curfew again and we won’t be so lenient!” 

The barman slammed the door in their faces. 

“They’re absolute idiots!” The barman said as he trudged up the stairs. I saw him clearly and gasped.

“You’re Aberforth Dumbledore!” I said. He nodded. 

He served us some food, and the trio ate like we hadn’t eaten in days. Where had they even been after escaping Malfoy Manor? Surely not the woods!

“We need to get into Hogwarts,” Harry said. 

“What you’ve got to do,” Aberforth said, “is get as far from here as you can.”

“We can’t do that, we MUST get into the castle,” I said. 

“Dumbledore left us a mission!” Harry said.

“Let it go before you follow him!” Aberforth said. “Save yourself!”

”We need to get into Hogwarts,” Harry repeated. “If you can’t help us, we’ll wait until daybreak, leave you in peace, and try to find a way in ourselves. If you CAN help us- well now would be a great time to mention it.” 

Aberforth sighed and turned to a portrait of a little girl I knew for certain had to be Ariana Dumbledore.

“You know what to do,” he said. 

She smiled and turned, fading into darkness.

“Where is she going?” I asked.

“There’s only one way in now,” Aberforth said. “You must know they’ve got all the secret passageways covered at both ends. Dementors everywhere and regular patrols inside the school, from what my sources tell me. The place has never been so heavily guarded. How you expect to do anything once you get inside it, with Snape in charge and the Carrows as his deputies, well that’s your lookout, isn’t it? You say you’re prepared to die.”

I turned back to the picture and saw Ariana coming back, with someone who appeared to be a very bloody and bruised Neville Longbottom. 

He hopped out of the portrait and into the bar. 

“I knew you guys would come!” He said excitedly.

“Neville what’s happened to you?” I asked. 

“Oh that’s nothing, Seamus is worse,” he said. “Shall we get going then? Oh and Ab- there might be a couple more people on the way.”

“Couple more?” Aberforth asked. “What do you mean a couple more? There’s a curfew and a Caterwauling Charm on the whole village!”

“They’ll be Apparating directly into the bar,” Neville said. “Just send them down the passage when they get here, will you? Thanks a lot.”

Aberforth just nodded. Neville urged us into the portrait. 

“Did you guys really break into Gringotts and escape on a dragon?” Neville asked. “Terry Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it in the Great Hall at dinner!” 

“They did,” I said with a laugh.

“What do you mean they?” Neville asked.

“I was sort of dead for a few hours,” I said. His eyes widened.

“Literally or figuratively?” He asked.

“Literally. Met my dad and everything,” I said. Neville whistled.

“That’s incredible, your potion really does work doesn’t it?” He said. I nodded. 

“Tell us about the Carrows,” Harry said. 

“They’re in charge of discipline aside from teaching,” Neville said. “They like punishment, the Carrows.”

I shivered.

“Like Umbridge?” I asked.

“Nah they make her look tame!” He said. “The other teachers are supposed to report us to them if we do anything wrong but they try to avoid it. They hate them as much as we do.”

“That’s horrible what do they do?” Hermione asked. 

“Amycus, the bloke, teaches what used to be Defence- except now it’s just Dark Arts. We’re supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who’ve earned detentions-“

“WHAT?” Hermione and I asked.

“Yeah that’s how I got this one,” Neville said, pointing at a gash in his cheek. “I refused to do it. Some of the Slytherins are into it- Crabbe and Goyle are top of the class for it.”

“That’s disgusting,” I said. “This school has become horrible.”

“That’s not even the worst of it. Amycus’s sister Alecto teaches Muggle Studies, which is compulsory for everyone,” Neville said. “We’ve got to listen to her explain how Muggles are like animals, stupid, dirty, how they drove wizards into hiding by being vicious to them, and how the natural order is being reestablished. I got this one-“ he pointed a different gash on his face “for asking her how much Muggle blood she and her brother have got.”

“Blimey Neville,” Ron said. “There’s a time and place for getting a smart mouth.”

“You wouldn’t have stood for it either,” Neville said. “It helps when people stand up to them, it gives them hope. I used to notice that when you did it, Harry.”

“Neville they’ve been using you as a knife sharpener!” I said. He shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “They don’t want to spill too much pure blood, so they’ll torture us a bit if we’re mouthy but they won’t actually kill us.”

“Death isn’t even that bad,” I said. Everyone turned to look at me.

“I mean I would rather be alive though...” I mumbled. 

Neville pulled out one of the DA Galleons we used to use.

“Oh I remember those!” I said.

“They’ve been great,” Neville said, beaming at Hermione and I. “The Carrows never figured out how we communicated- it drove them mad! We used to sneak out at night and put graffiti on the walls: Dumbledore’s Army, Still Recruiting. Stuff like that. Snape hated it”

“Used to? Hated? Past tense?” I asked. “What happened, did they torture you for it?”

“Not just that it got more didficult as time went on,” Neville said. “Luna got lost after Christmas, Ginny never came back after Easter, and we were the leaders. The Carrows even knew I was behind it so they came down hard on me then Michael Corner went and got caught releasing a first year they’d chained up, and they tortured him pretty badly. That scared people off.”

“No kidding,” Ron said. 

“Yeah well I couldn’t ask people to go through what Michael did so we dropped those kinds of stunts,” Neville continued. “We were still fighting, doing underground stuff, right up until a couple of weeks ago. That’s when they decided there was only one way to stop me, I suppose. They went for Gran.”

“They didn’t!” I cried.

“Yeah...it had worked well to kidnap kids and force the relatives to behave. They just did it the other way around,” he said. 

“But what happened to her?” I asked.

“Well Dawlish is still in St Mungo’s and Gran’s on the run,” Neville said. “Telling me she was proud of me, that I’m my parents’ son, and to keep it up.”

“She’s amazing and so are you!” I said. “You should be really proud.”

Neville smiled. 

“We’re here,” he said. 

He pushed open the painting.

“Look who it is! Didn’t I tell you?” Neville announced. 

Several people screamed joyfully as we entered.

“Harry! Hermione! Ron! Jules!” People screamed. 

Next thing we knew we were being hugged, high five, pounded on the back, hair ruffled, and hands shaken by more than twenty people. 

“Hey give me some space I’m still half dead!” I joked. Everyone gasped and I realized I shouldn’t have said that.

“JULIANA ELIZABETH ROMANO!” Seo Jin shrieked from the back of the crowd. “How dare you die?” 

I laughed as she came running up to hug me.

“Where’s Celeste?” I asked. 

“She couldn’t come back,” Seo Jin said. “Gideon even moved away to be with her.”

“Oh,” I said sadly. I hugged Seo Jin even tighter.

“But you’re here! How?” I asked. She smirked.

“I snuck away from my mother after Easter. Came back here,” she said. 

“You are brilliant,” I said. She ruffled my hair. 

“Where are we?” Harry asked. 

“Room of Requirement of course!” Neville said. “Looks even better!”

And it did. The room was covered in house banners, all except for Slytherin. It looked almost like a joint common room. 

“And the Carrows can’t get in?” Harry asked.

“No,” Seamus Finnigan said. I gasped, seeing his face all bruised. “It’s a proper hideout.”

“Hold up,” I said. “Before we continue anything- I need to fix you guys up.”

There were groans of protest.

“No,” I said. “Don’t whine. We don’t know what’s going to happen. You all need to be patched up and ready in case it takes a turn for the worse. Line up over here by me.”

Reluctantly, the many people who were all bruised and bloody lined up. I took out all my vials and began applying some liquids to everyone’s faces. They began to heal, and soon we had what looked like a powerful army of strong warriors.

“Well what are we going to do then, Harry?” Seamus asked once everyone was ready. “What’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Harry asked. “Well there’s something we- Ron, Hermione, Jules, and I- need to do. And then we’ll get out of here.”

“What do you mean get out of here?” Neville asked. I gulped and turned to Harry.

“We haven’t come to stay,” Harry said, rubbing his scar. “There’s something important we need to do.”

“What is it?” Seo Jin asked. I frowned.

“We can’t tell you,” I said.

Everyone burst into commotion. 

“Why can’t you tell us?” Neville asked. “It’s something to do with fighting You Know Who, right?”

“Yep,” I said. “But we-we have to do it alone.”

“Why?” Seo Jin asked.

“Dumbledore left us four the job,” Harry said.

“We’re his army!” Neville said. “We’re all in it together, we’ve been keeping it going while you three have been off on your own.”

“It hasn’t exactly been a picnic, mate,” Ron said. “Jules literally died.” 

“Look-“ Harry started. 

Luna and Dean burst in through the portrait hole. Suddenly more people began to flood in- Lee Jordan, Cho Chang, Fred and George, Ginny. 

I ran up to hug the twins, Ginny, Lee, and Luna.

“You guys are here!” I said.

“And you’re not dead anymore!” Fred said.

“How did you know?” I asked. 

“They put it on the coin see? Harry and friends are back- they did break into Gringotts and Jules died!” George said.

“You’re all just jealous you haven’t gotten to see how pretty Heaven is,” I said. Ginny smirked.

“What’s the plan, Harry?” George asked.

“There isn’t one,” he said.

“Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favorite kind,” Fred said.

“Why can’t they help?” Ron asked. Then my eyes widened. 

“They can help,” I said. “And we need them.”

I cleared my throat.

“Listen up, everyone!” I said. “We need to find a specific thing- something to help us overthrow You Know Who! It’s here at Hogwarts but we don’t know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Cause I haven’t.”

“Well there’s her lost diadem,” Luna said. “The lost diadem of Ravenclaw.”

“Yeah but the lost diadem is LOST,” Michael Corner said. “That’s sort of the point.”

“You’d be surprised to know you could be wrong, Michael,” I said. “When was it lost?”

“Couple centuries ago,” Seo Jin piped up. “Flitwick said it vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked but no one’s ever found a trace of it.”

“What is a diadem?” Ron asked.

“It’s like a crown,” Terry Boot said. “Ravenclaw’s was supposed to have magical properties, enchance wisdom of the wearer.”

“And has anyone seen anything that looks like it?” Harry asked. 

“If you’d like to see what the diadem is supposed to look like, look at Ravenclaw’s statue in the common room!” A little Ravenclaw in the back said. 

Harry turned to Ron, Hermione, and I. 

“He’s on the move. I’m going to look at this statue to see what the diadem looks like,” Harry said. “Wait for me here and keep the other one safe.” 

Cho stood up.

“No, Luna and Jules will take Harry, won’t you?” Ginny said a bit harshly.

“I’d love to go,” I said, smirking at Ginny. She flashed me a proud look. 

Harry draped his Cloak over Luna and I and we scurried out of the room.

“Fastest was is through this hall come on,” I said.

“Oh no Amycus patrols there a lot!” Luna said. “Let’s go this way. It’s longer but safer.”

“Alright,” Harry said. 

We continued as fast as we could. Several times we passed by ghosts and hid from sight. Harry kept nervously checking the Marauder’s Map. 

Finally we arrived. Luna knocked on the door. 

The eagle’s mouth opened.

“What came first, the phoenix or the flame?” 

“A circle has no beginning,” I said quickly, opening the door. Harry stared at me incredulously.

“Isn’t there a password?” Harry asked.

“Nope,” Luna said. “You have to answer a question.”

“And if you get it wrong?” Harry asked.

“There’s multiple ways to answer,” I said. “I could’ve said the phoenix because of its order in the statement and the eagle would’ve opened the door.” 

Lune urged us forward and took the Cloak off us. 

Harry darted forward and looked at the statue.

“See the diadem?” I asked, pointing at Ravenclaw’s head. Harry nodded.

“Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure,” Harry read from the base.

“Which makes you pretty skint, witless,” Alecto Carrow cackled from behind. We whipped around in time to see her press her Dark Mark.


	54. Chapter 54

“Stupefy!” Luna screamed. 

Alecto hit the floor with a thump. 

“I’ve never Stunned anyone except in our DA lessons,” she said proudly.

“You did brilliant Luna,” I said.

Several sleeping Ravenclaws came out from the dorm. 

Harry draped the cloak over us quickly.

“I think she might be dead!” A first year Ravenclaw said in delight as he saw Alecto.

“Aw, they’re pleased,” Luna said.

There was a rap on the door. 

“Where do Vanished objects go?” The eagle said. 

“I dunno, do I? Shut it!” A man snarled.

“Must be Amycus,” I said. 

“Alecto! Alecto! Are you in there? Have you got him? Open the door?” He yelled. 

He shot some spells at the door and nothing happened. 

“ALECTO!” Amycus roared. “If we haven’t got Potter and he comes- we’ll go the same way as the Malfoys! Open up!”

“What are you doing, Professor Carrow?” McGonagall asked from outside. 

The Ravenclaws began to go back up into their dormitories. 

“Trying to get through this door!” Amycus snapped. “Go and get Flitwick! Get him to open it now!”

“Isn’t your sister in there?” McGonagall asked. “Didn’t Professor Flitwick let her in earlier this evenings at your urgent request? Perhaps she could open the door. Then you needn’t wake up half the castle!” 

“She isn’t answering you old besom! You open it!” Amycus snarled.

“He better watch his tone,” I snapped. Harry looked infuriated.

“Where do Vanished objects go?” The eagle asked again, clearly having been listening to the conversation. 

“Into nonbeing, which is to say, everything,” McGonagall said. 

The door swung open. 

The Ravenclaws that had lingered behind sprinted up for the stairs just as Amycus burst in. He saw Alecto on the floor and screamed in rage. 

“What’ve they done, the little whelps?” He screamed. “I’ll Cruciate the lot of them! We haven’t got him and they’ve gone and killed her-“

“She’ll be fine!” McGonagall said. “She’s only Stunned.”

“No she bludgering well won’t!” Amycus shouted. “Not after the Dark Lord gets a hold of her! She’s gone and sent for him- I felt my Mark burn. He thinks we’ve got Potter!”

“Got Potter?” McGonagall said. 

“He told us Potter might try and get into Ravenclaw Tower!” Amycus said.

“Why would he do that? He’s a Gryffindor!” McGonagall said.

“We were told he might come in here!” Amycus said. “We can push it off on the kids..Yeah that’s what we’ll do. Say Alecto was ambushed by the kids then say they forced her to press her Mark and that’s why get got a false alarm. He can punish them. Couple of kids more or less, what’s the difference?” 

I gritted my teeth, and McGonagall did too. 

“Only the difference between truth and lies, courage and cowardice, a difference in short which you and your sister seem unable to appreciate,” McGonagall said, her nostrils flaring. “You are not going to pass of your many ineptitudes to the students of Hogwarts. I won’t permit it.”

“Excuse me?” Amycus said, coming close to McGonagall and sneering in her face. “It’s not a case of what you’ll permit, Minerva McGonagall! Your time is over! We’re in charge- you back me up or pay the price.”

And he dared spat in her face.

Harry shot out from under the Cloak before I could. 

“Crucio!” He yelled. Amycus collapsed on the floor and writhed in pain, wailing.

“I see what Bellatrix meant,” Harry told me. “You really need to mean it.”

“Potter! What- how- that was foolish!” McGonagall said.

“He spat at you,” Harry said. 

McGonagall’s eyes widened.

“That was very gallant of you- but don’t you realize?”

“Yes I do,” Harry said. “Voldemort is on his way.”

“You must flee!” McGonagall whispered. “As quickly as you can!”

“I can’t,” Harry said. “Do you know where the diadem of Ravenclaw is?”

“Of course not it’s been lost for centuries!” She said. “Potter, it was utter madness for you to enter the castle.

“We had to Professor,” I said. “There’s something hidden we need to find-“

“Potter and Romano,” McGonagall said. “If he does indeed know you are here-“

Harry clutched his scar and hissed.

“Time’s running out, Voldemort is getting nearer!” He said. “I’m acting on Dumbledore’s orders.”

McGonagall straightened up.

“We shall secure the school agains He Who Must Not Br Named while you search for this object,” she said.

“Is that possible?” Harry asked.

“Of course,” McGonagall said. “We teachers are rather good at magic, you know. I’m sure we can hold him off for awhile. Of course something will have to be done about Professor Snape-“

“Let me-“ Harry said.

“-and if Hogwarts is about to enter a state of siege with the Dark Lord at the gates, it would indeed be advisable to take as many innocent people out of the way as possible. With the Floo Network under observation, and Apparition impossible within the grounds-“

“There’s a way,” I said suddenly. “The Hog’s Head- through the Room of Requirement!” 

“Hundreds of students, though,” McGonagall said.

“They’re concentrating on the school,” I said. “Not the Hog’s Head.”

“I suppose,” she agreed. “Come, let’s alert the other Heads of Houses. Keep the Cloak on.”

“I’ll just use a charm,” I said. “I want to be up and ready to cast a spell if anything happens.”

“A charm?” McGonagall asked. I waved my wand and became invisible.

“You continue to surprise me, Miss Romano,” McGonagall said proudly as Harry and Luna draped the Cloak over themselves. 

We exited the Common Room. McGonagall cast a Patronus charm. Three silver cats with spectacle markings raced along the hall.

“That’s bloody incredible!” I said.

“Why thank you, Miss Romano,” she said. 

We had nearly reached the first floor when I noticed a shadow. McGonagall seemed to have noticed that too. 

“Who’s there?” She asked.

“Is it I,” Snape said, stepping out from behind a suit of armor.

“Where are the Carrows?” He asked.

“Wherever you told them to be, I expect, Severus,” McGonagall said. I tiptoed to end up behind Snape.

“I was under the impression,” he said, “that Alecto had apprehended an intruder.”

“What gave you that impression?” McGonagall said. 

Snape flashed his Dark Mark.

“Oh naturally,” McGonagall said. “I forgot you Death Eaters have your own private means of communication.”

Snape smiled wryly.

“I didn’t know it was your night to patrol the corridors, Minerva,” he said. 

“You have some objection?” She asked.

“I wonder what could have brought you out of you bed at this late hour?”

“I thought I heard a disturbance.”

“All seems calm...have you seen Harry Potter, Minerva? Because if you have I must insist-“

McGonagall slashed her wand through the air. Snape blocked her with lightning speech. A torch was knocked down and the hallway burst into flames. I hoped Harry and Luna were safe.

The flames became a lasso- then a serpent- then daggers that launched themselves at Snape. He barely managed to avoid them.

“Minvera!” Flitwick called, sprinting towards the scene with Professor Sprout and Professor Gibbons. 

Flitwick blasted a spell at the suit of armor Snape was behind. It became alive and attacked him. He barely avoided it and ran into a classroom. The Professors and I followed closely behind. 

Snape looked at them and leapt out the window. 

“COWARD!” McGonagall snapped.

A batlike shape flew into the air where Snape had fallen.

Harry and Luna came out from under the Cloak. I undid the charm on myself. Harry suddenly touched his scar and screamed. 

“He’s coming now! We’ve got to barricade the school!” He shouted. 

The Professor looked at each other. 

“Potter has work to do in the castle on Dumbledore’s orders,” McGonagall said. “We need to put in place every protection of which we are capable while Potter does what he needs to do.”

“You realize of course that nothing we do will be able to keep You Know Who out indefinitely?” Flitwick squeaked.

“But we can hold him up,” Sprout said.

“I suggest we establish basic protection around the place then gather our students and meet in the Great Hall. Most must be evacuated, but if anyone overage wishes to stay and fight they can,” McGonagall said. 

“Alright,” Sprout said. “Meet you in the Hall in twenty minutes with my house.” 

I reached into my bag and rummaged in it, pulling out the Alchemy book Dumbledore gave me. I shoved it into Professor Gibbons hands.

“We will need to use this,” I said. “I’ll help you. 

“Yes of course, let’s get to it!” He said. 

I didn’t know Professor Gibbons could sprint so fast but apparently I underestimated him. He in fact beat me to the Alchemy room without using magic.

“What do we have to do?” He asked.

“Alright we can make bombs out of nitroglycerin, oats, and oil. We can add parsley so they only explode on contact with someone at full velocity,” I said, taking all my vials out and spreading them on the table. “And we can create Dungbombs with sulfur, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid.” 

“I have never been more proud of you, Miss Romano,” Gibbons said, beaming at me. I smiled. 

We got to work immediately. Our skilled hands were assembling bomb after bomb after bomb. We wrapped them in aluminum foil and set them on the tables. Gibbons worked twice as fast as I did but within the twenty minutes we’d assembled so many bombs we could arm every overage student staying to fight with at least seven of each bomb.

When we finished we scooped the bombs into a basket and ran into the Great Hall.

“...evacuation will be overseen by Mr Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Prefects- when I give the word you will organize your House and taken your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point,” McGonagall said. 

“And what if we want to stay and fight?” Ernie Macmillan asked.

”If you are of age, you may stay,” she said. 

“What about our stuff?” A girl asked.

“We have no time to collect possessions,” McGonagall said. “We need to get you out safely.”

Harry came into the Great Hall without Ron and Hermione.

“Where are they?” I asked. 

“Something about a bathroom,” he said. “No idea.”

The air went cold, and a voice rang through the Hall.

“I know that you are preparing to fight,” it said. “Your efforts are futile...you cannot fight me. I don’t want to kill you. I have great respect for Hogwarts teachers. I do not want to spill magical blood.”

I looked at Harry, my heart beating fast. 

“Give me Harry Potter,” Voldemort said. “And none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight.”

Pansy Parkinson shrieked and shot up from the Slytherin table and ran towards Harry. At the last second I jumped in front and punched her.

“Way to go Jules!” Harry said. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that!” I said. 

Some Slytherins gazed uncertainly at Harry, wondering if they should dare do the same as Pansy.

The Houses began to file away. The overage students gathered at the Ravenclaw table, which I stood on top of, holding the baskets of bombs in my hands. I waved my wand over them.

“Everyone will be taking five bombs of each for now! These will go off on contact, so throw as hard as you can! If something hits them while in your pocket they will not go off,” I said. 

The students scrambled to get bombs and pocket them. 

Then I looked to the door and saw the Order members burst in. I ran towards them, my arms outstretched.

They closed around Mum and Dad. 

“Oh Jules we were worried sick!” Mum said, hugging me tight. “Fred told us you died!” 

“I did,” I said. “And I met my parents.” 

Dad beamed at me.

“They must be so proud of you,” he said. I smiled and hugged them again. 

Kingsley swooped down over the group. 

“Listen up!” He said. “We’ve only got half an hour til midnight, so we need to act fast! A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and McGonagall are going to take a group of fighters up to the three highest towers- Ravenclaw, Astronomy, and Gryffindor- where they will have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Professor Gibbons will take another group of fighters to the smaller tower near the entrance to throw most of the bombs from. Meanwhile Remus and Arthur and I will take the grounds. We’ll need somebody to organize defense of the entrances of the passageways in the school-“ 

“Sounds like a job for us,” Fred said, indicating to himself and George.

“All right leaders up here and we’ll divide the troops!” Kingsley said. 

Harry darted away. 

I ran over to Professor Gibbons.

“We need the smartest Potioneers,” I said. “It’s the only way we’ll be able to make the concoctions as accurate as possible.” 

“You choose your people, Miss Romano,” Professor Gibbons said. 

I nodded and looked over.

“Seo Jin, Anthony, Terry, Hannah, and C-Clarisse?” I said. 

My best friend was standing before me, looking proud as ever.

“Didn’t think I’d miss this, did you?” She asked. I smirked and nodded.

“Well you five come join me we need to go to the Alchemy class for ingredients first,” I said. 

We all sprinted away, down the hall. We made it to the Alchemy classroom within minutes.

“Everyone grab every single vial in that cabinet and grab any cauldron, beaker, or cylinder you can find,” I said. “Try not to break anything.” 

A glass shattered.

“Oops,” Terry said. I rolled my eyes but smiled. 

We grabbed as many of the supplies we could and ran to the group of towers and pathways that were closer to the ground and at the front of the school. Death Eaters appeared to be entering the gates at that very moment.

”Alright everyone listen closely,” I said. “Grab something you can mix things in- no Hannah don’t use the vial use the beaker- grab the blue vial and the pale green one and dump them in at the same time. Now!” 

All the students before me did that. 

“All right now get a small piece of aluminum foil and drop it in,” I said. They did so. “Add a papaya leaf.” They did the step.

”This part I need to do,” I said. I went over to each cauldron and beaker and waved my wand while adding some peppermint. The liquid became solid, and extremely cold.

”What the bloody hell is that?” Terry Boot asked.

”Insanely cold ice bombs,” I said. “You drop this on someone they will freeze and shatter to pieces.” 

There was a scream. I looked up and saw from the Astronomy Tower spells were being fired down.

”If you run out, make more of the solution and let me know to finish it off,” I said. “Let’s chuck some bombs!” 

Seo Jin yelled triumphantly and dragged an ice bomb, nitroglycerin bomb, and Dungbomb all in her hands at once and dropped it down.

There was a screech from below. I looked and saw a big brown clown descending over the Death Eaters. One wailed as the ice bomb hit them- then they shattered into pieces.

”That’s wicked cool!” Clarisse said. “My turn!” 

She grabbed two ice bombs and threw them down forcefully. Suddenly a thought came into my head.

”You have enough bombs to last you til midnight!” I said. “Time them well- I need to find someone!” 

I ran into the castle full speed. Ron and Hermione had to have gone into the Chamber of Secrets! 

I collided full force with Harry and was knocked painfully to the floor. 

“Ron and Hermione are in the Chamber of Secrets!” I hissed, rubbing my head.

“I know they’re behind me!” Harry said. I looked and saw Ron and Hermione running to catch up. I nodded and got up to follow Harry to the Room of Requirement. 

We arrived and only saw Ginny, Tonks, and Mrs Longbottom inside. 

“Ah can you tell us what’s going on?” Mrs Longbottom asked.

“Everyone is ok for now,” I said. 

“We need the room,” Harry said frantically.

“No worries. I will go assist my grandson,” Mrs Longbottom said, trotting away.

“Tonks!” I said. “Have you had the baby?” 

“Yes,” she said. “He’s with my mother- we named him Teddy. Where’s Remus?”

“He was leading a group of fighters into the grounds,” I said. Her eyes widened and she sped off. Harry looked at Ginny.

“We need you to leave too,” he said. “Just for a bit, then you can come back in.”

She turned to leave. 

“You’ve got to come back in!” I said sharply. She turned and gave me a look. 

“Ginny I’m serious,” I said. She scowled and left.

“Hang on a moment!” Ron said. “We’ve forgotten someone!” 

“Who?” Hermione asked fearfully.

“The house elves!” He said. “They’ll be down in the kitchen, won’t they?”

“You mean we ought to get them fighting?” Harry asked.

“No!” Ron said. “I mean we should tell them to get out. We don’t want them to be at risk- if Malfoy hadn’t taken the knife for Dobby he’d be dead! This could be worse. We can’t order them to die for us-“

Suddenly Hermione leapt into Ron’s arms and kissed him passionately.

“Not the time for that!” I said sharply. I turned out. Where the bloody hell was Ginny?

I went outside. Ginny was standing with Tonks near a window, throwing hexes. Aberforth Dumbledore ran up by me.

“Good girl!” He told Ginny when she shot a hex at one of the Death Eaters.

“Ginny!” I said sharply. She turned and stuck her tongue out at me. Tonks looked at me then at Aberforth.

“Have you seen Remus?” She asked him.

“He was dueling Dolohov-“ 

Tonks and I looked at each other, and both sprinted down the hall. 

“No!” Aberforth called, grabbing my arms and pulling me back.

“NO!” I screamed. “Dolohov will kill him! I have to go finish him off now that I know he’s here!” 

“You can’t leave right now!” Aberforth snapped. Harry came out and took me from Aberforth, dragging me into the Room of Requirement.

“NO I HAVE TO GO FINISH OFF DOLOHOV!” I screamed. “He’s going to kill Remus!” 

“You have to help us find the diadem first!” Harry said. “Accio Diadem!” 

Nothing happened. 

We spread out in the room and began to search. The whole time my heart was beating wildly in my chest. Suddenly I heard more movement nearby.

“Hold it, Potter,” I heard a voice say. Draco was standing near Harry, his wand pointed to him. “That’s my wand you’re holding.”

“Draco!” I said sharply. He stared at me and gasped. He dropped his wand and ran to me, touching my face. 

“What are you doing here you should be evacuating with the other students you’re not well to fight!” He said.

“I have to, I have to!” I cried. 

Suddenly Hermione screamed. Crabbe launched a spell that set fire to the back of the room. It began to rage out of control.

“That’s Fiendfyre, you idiot!” I screamed. “We need to get out of here!”

Crabbe and Goyle turned to run. The fire began to spit flames across the room to where we were. Harry grabbed a broom and launched into the sky. 

“Hermione! Ron! Run!” I screamed. They sprinted forward and toward the door of the room. Draco pulled my arm.

“No! Harry’s still here!” I said. I heard a scream from near the exit. I looked up and saw Harry dive down and grabbed what looked like a melted crown.

“Jules let’s go!” Draco yelled loudly. He tugged at my arm. Harry was flying back.

“I’m not going to lose you over him!” Draco snarled, picking me up. 

“No! Harry!” I screamed. The fire was right on Harry’s tail. Draco was running farther away from him. 

Harry went into another dive and sped to where we were. That’s when I realized how close the fire was to us. 

Harry swooped down and grabbed Draco, who was holding me. The broom carried us all out the door, which closed firmly behind us. 

At the speed we were going, the broom crashed into the wall. I fell on the floor and Draco rolled on top of me, both of us coughing and spluttering. I looked and saw Goyle, Hermione, and Ron, but no Crabbe.

“Crabbe’s dead,” Ron said grimly.

Harry looked at the diadem. A dark substance was leaking from it.

“The Fiendfyre destroyed it!” I said. Hermione gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. 

“We’ve finished off all the Horcruxes!” Hermione said. I leapt up and hugged her.

Draco came and touched my shoulder. I whipped around and he kissed me full on the mouth. 

The school shook. I turned and looked down the hall, seeing Death Eaters inside the school. I looked back at Draco and shook my head.

“No Jules, NO!” He said, trying to hold me back. I ran forward, and was joined by Percy and Fred coming from one of the side halls. 

The Death Eaters began to fire spells, and Percy blocked while Fred and I attacked. 

I waved my wand. The lanterns on the walls screeched and disconnected themselves, flying at the Death Eaters and smacking them in the head. 

Percy shot a curse at Thicknesse himself.

“Hello Minister!” He yelled. “Did I mention I’m resigning?” 

Fred and I laughed. I flicked my wand again and one of the Death Eaters flew into the air and knocked the rest down like bowling pins. 

“You’re joking, Perce!” Fred said, launching another spell at Thicknesse. “You actually are joking- I don’t think I’ve heard you joke since you were-“

The corridor wall exploded. My body flew to the side. I collided with a wall. My head slammed against it even more forcefully than ever before. I saw literal stars. I tried to move and realized my legs weren’t budging. 

I could hear more people groaning. 

I noticed Ron rushed forward beside me. Why was the world spinning? 

There was a blood curling scream, I don’t know who it came from. I dragged my body to where Percy and Fred were. Then I noticed something odd- Percy and Ron were moving but Fred wasn’t.

“NO, NO! FRED!” Percy yelled, shaking Fred’s body. He was smiling. I crawled forward as fast as my dizziness permitted me.

“Move!” I snapped, reaching a clumsy hand into my pocket and extracting the Resurrection Potion. I uncorked it and put a drop in Fred’s mouth. Instantly he began to breathe hoarsely. I uncorked three other vials and popped them into his mouth. He began to breathe unsteadily and he started to shake. 

“Cmon Fred, cmon, don’t give up on me!” I hissed as I kept pouring the liquid into his mouth. He gave a little shiver and gasped loudly, his eyes snapping open. 

“Fred!” Percy wailed, flinging himself onto his brother and hugging him. I smiled and grabbed onto a wall, trying to get up. I was so dizzy. I took one of the vials and drank it. My legs ached, I felt so much pain in them. They felt so numb yet so intact...I could barely hold myself up. I breathed deeply and gasped as I took a step forward. I walked a few paces and almost fell from how much everything was spinning. 

Hermione, Ron, and Harry had disappeared. I limped toward the next Hall and looked down. Not a single person in sight. Then I heard an evil chuckle behind me. 

I turned around and saw Dolohov standing behind me, his wand pointed at my head. 

I breathed heavily, staring at him. 

“Heard you died and met your filthy father,” he cackled. “How is he?” 

“Not as bad as you’re about to be,” I said. 

I shot Dolohov away faster than I could’ve ever imagined. Within seconds I waved my wand and the bricks from the destroyed corridor flew at him and began attacking him. I flicked my wand and they became birds and daggers, pecking at him. 

“What’ve you done to Remus and Tonks?” I snarled.

Dolohov shielded his face and laughed.

“They’re dead!” He said gleefully. “And you haven’t got more potion!” 

A surge of dizziness hit me. I staggered, and my spell broke. Dolohov shot up and pointed his wand at me. When my vision stopped being blurry he cackled.

“Avada-“

“AVADA KEDAVRA!” 

Dolohov crumpled to the floor, his eyes wide open. 

Behind him was Draco, standing tall and bold, a nasty look plastered on his face. 

“Draco!” I said, stumbling forward and clutching my head. He caught me and pressed his lips to mine.

“I am never, ever letting anyone kill you again,” he said. “Even if it means I have to turn against the Death Eaters. Even if it means I have to die a second time.”


	55. Chapter 55

There was a blast down the hall. 

Draco grabbed my arm and we raced down the opposite way, to where there was a staircase.

We raced down the bottom. A spell shot past my ear and I screamed, falling down the rest of the flight. My head was pounding, the vial I’d drank hadn’t helped. I reached wildly for something to grab onto and tried to stand up. Draco rushed forward and put his arms around me, pulling me into a standing position. 

“The Malfoy boy is with that blood traitor!” One of the Death Eaters snarled. 

He unmasked himself. It was Rowle. 

“First you betray us by dating that BLOOD TRAITOR,” he said, seething, walking towards us. Draco moved so his body was shielding mine entirely. Rowle licked his lips. “Then you bring her back to life. Then you kill Dolohov. Whose side are you on, Malfoy?” 

Rowle shot a spell. Draco waved his wand at lightning speed and blocked the spell, not moving his body so I would be covered. Rowle growled and shot another curse, that missed me by inches. 

“Don’t you dare hurt her!” Draco spat, launching a spell at Rowle. He stumbled when he was hit.

“Are you alright, Jules?” Draco asked, momentarily distracting himself.

“Look out!” I screamed. 

Just as Rowle was about to shoot another hex at us, he crumpled to the floor- stunned. I wheeled around to look for our savior. 

“Harry!” I cried. The trio came out from under the Invisibility Cloak. “Where are you going?”

“Voldemort’s sitting in the Shrieking Shack,” Hermione said.

“He thinks he’s still safe,” Harry said. “If we catch him off guard-“

“I’m coming with you,” I said, another wave of pain hitting me. I uncorked a vial and chugged the entire thing down, feeling my head clear.

“Jules it’s too dangerous!” Draco said.

“I have to help them,” I said. Without another word I charmed myself invisible, standing next to the trio. They draped the Cloak over themselves and I climbed under, then charming myself to be visible.

“Bloody hell Jules don’t do that,” Ron said.

“I didn’t want him to see me getting under the Cloak,” I said. “He was just going to try and stop me.”

As we ran past a marble staircase, there was another blast. 

From the overhead balcony two bodies fell. There was a yell and Greyback leapt from it to join the bodies. He was about to sink his teeth into the people when I took one of the bombs out and charmed it to fly into his mouth.

Greyback choked then disintegrated into pieces.

I gasped loudly. Out of impulse I’d just killed someone else.

“Jules that doesn’t matter right now!” Harry said, almost as if he could read my mind. “We need to go.”

We ran outside on the grounds. Hagrid’s brother Grawp was wrestling with other giants, and we almost got stepped on.

“Oh no!” I cried. “Look!”

Close to a hundred dementors were coming out way, weaving through the crowd. 

Hermione hesitated. She cast her charm but her otter faded. Ron tried and couldn’t. Harry wasn’t able to either.

I mustered up all my strength.

“Expecto Patronum!”

But it wasn’t just me yelling. It was Luna, Ernie, and Seamus that joined me.

The little hare, the sly fox, and the powerful boar ran alongside my lumbering panda and collided with the dementors. The trio tried again. Nothing.

“We’re still here,” Luna said. “We’re still fighting. Think of something happy.”

Harry pursed his lips.

“Something happy?” He croaked. I placed my hand on his and raised his wand in the air. 

“Do it,” I said. “You can. Think of your mother, think of your father. They love you. Sirius said we could and would win this. Come on.”

Harry gasped. He tried again.

The silver stag burst out to join the other animals. Ron and Hermione tried again. The silvery otter twirled around the terrier and both zoomed forward to help the boar, the fox, the hare, the stag, and the panda fight off the Death Eaters.

“There’s so beautiful,” Seamus said. I nodded, smiling towards the Patronuses.

The ground shook. 

I screamed and pulled the trio to the ground as a giant passed us, waving a club in his hand that would’ve swatted us like flies.

“RUN!” Harry screamed. We scrambled and scattered.

“Out of range!” Ron yelled. The club swung and barely grazed the top of my head. My heart went into my throat.

“The Whomping Willow!” Harry said. “Go!”

He sprinted forward and we followed. The tree was waving its branches wildly.

“How do we get in?” Ron asked. “I can see the place- if we just had Crookshanks again-“

“Crookshanks?” Hermione wheezed. “Are you a wizard or not?!”

Ron waved his wand. A twig leapt up and flew to the “spot” on the tree. The branches ceased to move.

“That’s bloody awesome,” I said. Harry rushed forward, wriggling in through the passage. Hermione followed, then Ron, then I. 

“Wait- the Cloak!” I said. I pulled it in at the last second as the tree began to move again. I swung it in the air and draped it over us. 

There were voices. 

“...my Lord, their resistance is crumbling.” 

I gasped, realizing it was Snape speaking. 

“-and it is doing so without your help,” Voldemort said coolly. “Skilled wizard though you are, Severus, I do not think you will make much difference now. We are almost there, almost. The boy will never find the last Horcrux.” 

“Let me find the boy then!” Snape gasped. “Let me bring you Potter. I know I can find him, my Lord, please.”

I anxiously wrung my hands together. We could get close enough and finish Voldemort off...

“I have a problem, Severus,” Voldemort said suddenly. I turned to Harry, who also looked confused.

“My Lord?” Snape asked. Clearly he wasn’t sure what he meant either. 

Voldemort raised his wand. I clapped my hand over my mouth to stop me from gasping loudly. He was holding the famous Elder Wand.

“Why doesn’t it work for me, Severus?” Voldemort asked.

“I do not understand...” Snape said. “You have performed extraordinary magic with that wand.”

Voldemort licked his lips.

“No,” he said. He looked irritated. “I have performed my usual magic. I am extraordinary.”

I looked at Hermione and stuck my tongue out. Voldemort was so cocky!

“This wand is not extraordinary,” he continued. “It has not revealed the wonders it has promised. I feel no difference between this wand and the one I procured from Ollivander all those years ago.” 

Snape began to breathe heavily. 

“I have thought long and hard, Severus,” Voldemort said. “Do you know why I have called you back from the battle?”

I inched closer. Snape looked unmoved, but anxious. I felt my heart beating faster. Voldemort was going to kill him, I knew it. 

“No my Lord,” Snape said. “But I beg you will let me return. Let me find Potter.”

Voldemort laughed wryly. My skin tingled. He was about to murder Snape and he simply found it amusing...

“You sound like Lucius,” he said. “Neither of you understands Porter as I do. He does not need finding. He will come to me. This is his weakness, his one great flaw. He will hate watching the others struck down around him, knowing that it is for him that it happens. He will want to stop it at any cost. He will come.”

I felt Harry tense up beside me.

“My concern at the moment Severus, is what will happen when I finally meet the boy,” Voldemort said. 

“My Lord there can be no question, surely?” Snape said. Voldemort’s lips curled into a cruel smile.

“But there is a question, Severus. There is,” he said, fiddling with the Elder Wand.

He turned to Severus, his red eyes piercing into his soul.

“Why did both the wands I have used fail when directed at Harry Potter?” He asked. Snape gulped.

“I cannot answer that, my Lord,” Snape said. Voldemort rolled his eyes. 

“Can’t you?” He said. 

Harry hissed lightly and clutched his scar.

“Silencio!” I said in my head. Harry would no longer be able to make sound. 

“My wand of yew did everything of which I asked it, Severus, except kill Harry Potter,” Voldemort continued. “Twice it failed. Ollivander told me under torture of the twin cores, told me to take another’s wand. I did so- but Lucius’ wand shattered upon meeting Potter.”

“I have no explanation, my Lord,” Snape said. 

“I sought a third wand, Severus,” Voldemort said, disregarding what Snape had answered. “The Elder Wand, the Wand of Destiny, the Deathstick. I took it from its previous master- I took it from the grave of Albus Dumbledore.”

A sickening feeling in my stomach made me want to throw up. I saw Hermione cringe and Ron make a face. Harry was still clutching his scar, but not moving. 

Snape looked nervously at Voldemort.

“I think I know why the Elder Wand refuses what it ought to be, refuses as legend says r must perform for its rightful owner,” Voldemort said. “Perhaps you already know it? You are a clever man, after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen.”

“My Lord!” Snape pleaded. Voldemort shook his head. 

“The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly because I am not its true master,” he said. “The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. While you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot truly be mine.” 

Snape’s eyes widened terribly. Voldemort waved his wand. There was a horrible retching noise, and blood spurted into the air. 

“I regret it,” Voldemort said. He got up and left. 

Harry stopped clutching his scar. I undid the spell that silenced him. He staggered forward to where Snape was. 

Snape grabbed Harry’s robes as he approached.

“Take it...Take...it,” he gasped. 

A silvery blue substance was emerging from his mouth, ears, and eyes. I quickly grabbed an empty vial and shoved it into Harry’s hands. 

He placed it next to Snape’s eye and collected the substance. Snape gasped. He looked at me.

I kneeled down quickly and began to take out my vials. His hand gripped mine.

“D-Don’t....” he said. “D-Don’t... use.... it... on.. me....”

“Professor please!” I said, holding the Resurrection Potion in my hand. He shook his head.

“You... did... something... incredible,” he said hoarsely. “I... am... so... proud... save... it... for... them...” 

Snape gasped and looked at Harry. 

“Look...at... me,” he croaked. Harry turned, his green eyes looking into Snape’s black eyes. 

Snape gasped and shuddered, and he didn’t move again.


	56. Chapter 56

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Then a voice spoke. 

“You have fought valiantly,” Voldemort said cruelly. “Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. You have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste.”

I gritted my teeth, suppressing my tears.

“Lord Voldemort is merciful,” be continued. “I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.”

I got up shakily, putting my vials back in my pocket. I had to head back to the castle. 

“I speak not, Harry Potter, directly to you.” 

I turned to Harry. His face contorted with anger, as slow tears fell down his cheeks. 

“You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself,” Voldemort said. “I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you do not come to me- have not given yourself up- then the battle recommences. This time I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour.”

“Harry you can’t do that,” I said immediately.

“Let’s go back to the castle!” Hermione said frantically. “If he’s gone to the forest we can think of a new plan!”

Harry got up. He walked out of the Shrieking Shack. We followed. 

When we entered the castle it was entirely silent. The eerieness of it was scary. There were only the bodies of dead Death Eaters on the floor. Our people had been collected. 

We went into the Great Hall. I nearly screamed, seeing all the dead bodies laying in rows. 

“Move,” I said hoarsely to the crowd. I bent down over the first body- Lavender Brown.

Her neck had been chomped up by Greyback far beyond repair.

“C-Can you fix her?” Parvati Patil asked. I pursed my lips together. 

“I can try,” I said. I took two vials out. I mixed them together then poured them on the wound. I took out some powder and placed it around the edges of the gash in her neck. The flesh began to grow back, but Lavender was still dead. I had to wait until she was full healed to resuscitate her.

“Is she injured anywhere else?” I asked. Parvati shook her head. 

The wound closed up, leaving a nasty scar. I uncorked a different vial and poured two drops on the wound. It closed nicely, leaving only a faint scar. 

I took a pipette. I squeezed two drops of the Resurrection Potion into Lavender’s mouth. Her eyes snapped open. 

“It was so beautiful!” She gasped to Parvati. She looked at me and her eyes watered. 

“I saw my bunny,” she said. “And my grandmum.” 

She burst into tears. Parvati rushed forward to hug her. I smiled and moved to the next body. Colin Creevey.

“He wasn’t even supposed to stay and fight!” A little boy said from beside him.

“What are you doing here? You’re a third year!” I said. 

“H-He’s my brother. I’m Dennis,” the boy said. 

“Dennis what happened to him?” I asked. 

“I-I don’t know,” he said. “I was h-hiding.” 

Colin didn’t look like he’d sustained any physical injuries. I tapped my fingers on his chest lightly. I felt a gap right over his heart. A rib had pierced it. 

“I’m going to need to open him up,” I said. “Dennis look away.” 

Lavender and Parvati squealed fearfully as I waved my wand, exposing Colin’s thoracic cavity. I reached my hand in and carefully removed the rib from the heart. I mixed four vials together and poured it straight into the hole in the heart. I waved my wand and set the rib in place. Then I waved it again to close Colin up. I pipetted two drops of the Resurrection Potion into his mouth. He gasped and sat up.

“It was foolish of you to stay and fight!” I said seriously. “You’re only 16!” 

Colin winced sheepishly. Dennis began to bawl and hugged his brother. 

“Jules! Over here!” Mum called. I turned and saw Remus and Tonks laying, side by side, holding hands. 

I choked and swallowed back tears. 

I got up and went to them both, pipetting some drops of the potion into their mouths. Instantly they woke up.

“Remus!” Tonks cried, hugging him. He stared at her in disbelief.

“Since when have you been here?” He asked. “You were supposed to be at home with the baby!”

“I couldn’t stay away!” She wailed. “When I came they told me you were dueling D-Dolohov and right as I arrived he k-killed you!” 

Remus frowned. Then he turned to me.

“I saw Lily and James,” he said. “And Sirius.”

“Peter?” I asked. 

“Likely in Hell from what it looked like,” he said. I nodded. He’d deserved it. 

“Your Mum told me to tell you how proud she is of you,” Remus said. I nodded and smiled. 

“JULES!” I heard a voice scream. 

It was George. And lying on the floor next to him was Clarisse. I sprinted forward and collapsed next to her. She was so mangled I wasn’t sure I’d be able to save her.

“What the bloody hell happened?” I snapped, examining her deep wounds.

“Greyback got a hold of her- and a Giant swatted her aside with his club,” George said, sobbing. 

I touched Clarisse’s chest gently. I could feel the sharp pieces of broken ribs within. I flipped her onto her stomach and felt her back. I could feel her spinal cord had been severed. 

“Can you fix her?” George said. I bit my lip.

“I-I don’t know,” I said. “Her spinal cord is b-broken.” 

I waved my wand and touched her chest. I felt the ribs going back into place. If I could fix her spinal cord I could save her. 

I waved my wand again. Her back opened. I put my hand inside to feel. I felt where it had snapped.

“Dittany,” I said, holding my hand out. George scrambled to the vials I’d laid out and handed me the dittany. I poured it in.

“Clove.” He handed it to me. I put a leaf in. 

“Nitroglycerin-“

“WHAT?” George said. “No you can’t-“

“I bloody well can!” I screamed. “She’s my best friend! If I need to save her this way I will!” 

George was silent. He handed me the nitroglycerin vial. I poured it into her and immediately cast a spell. Water began to fill the cavity.

“Pine needles.” George handed me the flask they were in. I put one in and waved my wand again. There was a hissing, then bubbling sound. When it stopped I felt it again. Her spine was fixed. 

I closed her up, and gently flipped her face up. 

I poured some of the potion into her mouth. 

There was a hoarse sound that came from her. She twitched, and then her eye snapped open. 

George moved at the speed of light and began kissing her, lifting her up and hugging her tightly.

“You’ll break her!” I hissed. Clarisse looked at me, her eyes full of tears.

“I saw my mum!” She whispered. “I saw her!” 

I burst into tears with her, joining into the hug.

“Don’t you are die on me again,” I said. She smiled and rested her chin on my shoulder.

I turned to the fifty bodies that remained.

I released Clarisse and got up and went around, pipetting and mixing and resurrecting all of the warriors for our cause. Soon the Great Hall was full of living people, rejoicing at their chance at life. 

I felt someone hug me from behind. I turned and saw Fred. 

“You were right!” He said excitedly. “Heaven is so beautiful! I got to meet the REAL Marauders and my uncles Fabian and Gideon! And I was only dead for a few minutes!” 

I laughed and hugged him tight.

“And er- your ferret is waiting over there,” he said, pointing to a figure waiting by the Great Hall’s entrance. 

I smiled and walked over.

“Hey,” I said. Draco smiled, rushing forward and hugging me tight.

“You did it,” he said. “You brought them back.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you!” I said. Then Draco looked at something behind me. 

“Is that Professor Gibbons?” He asked.

I wheeled around and almost screamed. 

Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall had just came in, carrying the body of Professor Gibbons.

“No!” I cried, sprinting forward. They laid him down on the ground and I kneeled down immediately, taking the vials out. 

“He has something in his pocket,” McGonagall noticed. With my hands trembling, I took it out. It was a piece of parchment, with his writing all over it.

Dear Juliana,

I know you will not be pleased to see this. And I know you will hate me for this. But after this war is done- please, please do not bring me back. 

I have lived my life. Last month I turned a hundred and three. My wife has been dead for years, and I have no children, no relatives.

When I heard you describe how beautiful Heaven was, I knew right away I wanted to stay there when the time came. I know you will want to bring me back, but after being alone so long I just want to be with my wife. I just want to live a painless life. 

I am forever going to be proud of you and Mr Malfoy for what you created. You two are the most brilliant students I have ever met. It truly was a blessing to the world when you walked into my classroom in your fifth year. I will miss you both- and I hope you can further your Alchemy achievements. Don’t let the world forget Alchemy. Don’t. 

-Professor Joseph Ludovitch Culciar Gibbons

I burst into tears all over again. Draco’s strong arms hugged me from behind.

”I d-didn’t make this potion to leave people dead!” I wailed. “I wanted it for life! First Snape and now Gibbons!” 

“You can’t save everyone,” Draco said. “Not everyone wants to be saved.” 

I wailed even louder and burrowed my head into his chest. 

“LOOK!” Ginny screamed. 

We all turned to the doors of the Great Hall. We could see outside into the grounds of Hogwarts. Death Eaters approached fast, and Hagrid was with them. 

Everyone in the Hall sped out to see what was going on.

“NOOO!” Professor McGonagall screamed. Professor Sprout held her back.

“NO!”

“NO! NOOO!”

“HARRY!” 

“HARRY!” I screamed, rushing forward. Draco pulled me back.

“NO! THEY’VE KILLED HIM!” I screamed, trying to fight against him.

“Jules stay BACK!” Draco said, pulling me back forcefully. Voldemort laughed.

“Harry Potter is dead!” Voldemort said. “Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever! But a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him! He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds! Killed while trying to save himself!”

“That’s a lie!” I yelled. “He’s not a coward! You are! And you’re weak! It took you nearly eighteen bloody years to kill him! He is ten times the wizard you will ever be!” 

I took the vial of Resurrection Potion out of my pocket.

“ACCIO!” Bellatrix screamed. I scrambled to grab the potion but it slipped out of my hand. It was my last vial. It zoomed into her hands, and she squeezed it so hard she crushed it. The drops fell on the floor.

I collapsed and began to sob wildly, Draco holding me back. 

Neville stepped forward. 

“Ah, Neville Longbottom,” Voldemort said. “You show spirit and bravery and come of noble stock. We need your kind- you would make a very valuable Death Eater.”

“I’ll join you when hell freezes over!” Neville yelled. “Dumbledore’s Army!”

The rest of us roared out support.

“Neville here is going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me,” Voldemort said. He raised his wand. 

There was a loud battle cry. Several house elves led by Kreacher leapt into the air and began attacking the wizards.

And all hell broke loose.

Ginny grabbed my arm and hoisted me up. We ran to where Hermione was, now dueling Bellatrix.

“Got to meet your filthy family, did you?” Bellatrix snarled to me. “How about you revisit them?” 

She fired a curse at me, which I deflected with lighting speed.

“Funny thing really,” I said. “Heaven exists. And so does Hell.” 

I waved my wand and shot a curse at her. She staggered. Another wave and the dirt in the floor transfigured into bats, all attacking her. Bellatrix screamed and tried to ward them off, firing curses at random. Ginny missed death by an inch. 

Bellatrix roared and rid herself of the bats. She was about to resume dueling me when someone pulled me back.

“Not my daughters you BITCH,” Mum said, stepping forward.

Bellatrix laughed a shrill, high pitched laugh. She fired a spell. Mum deflected it, slashing and twirling her wand faster than Bellatrix could.

“WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOUR CHILDREN WHEN I KILL YOU?” Bellatrix howled. “When Mummy’s gone the same way as Freddie?”

“You mean me?” Fred asked, coming from behind. Bellatrix faltered. Mum shot a curse straight at her heart. Bellatrix staggered, froze, and collapsed on the ground. 

Voldemort roared ragefully. I turned and saw him point his wand at Mum.

“PROTEGO!” Someone screamed.

I wheeled around and saw Harry friggin Potter standing up, quite alive, his charm having just saved Mum’s life.

“HE’S ALIVE!” Someone cried.

Harry stepped forward.

“I don’t want anyone else trying to help,” he said. “It’s got to be like this. It’s got to be me.”

Voldemort hissed loudly.

“Potter doesn’t mean that,” he said. “That isn’t how he works, is it? Wh are you going to use as a shield today, Potter? Will it be that filthy Romano girl? Or perhaps the traitor, Malfoy?” 

Draco came and stood next to me. He gripped my hand tightly. 

“Nobody,” Harry said. “There aren’t any more Horcruxes. It’s just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good....”

Voldemort laughed shrilly.

“One of us?” He asked. “You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings.”

“Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?” Harry asked. “Accident, when I decided to fight in the graveyard? Accident, that I didn’t defend myself tonight and still survived and returned to fight again?”

“ACCIDENTS!” Voldemort screamed. “Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and sniveled behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you.”

“You will never be able to kill them again,” Harry said. “Jules and Draco found a way to let them LIVE. And besides, don’t you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people. And I meant to, and that’s what did it. I’ve done what my mother did. They’re protected from you. Haven’t you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can’t torture them. You can’t touch them. You don’t learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?”

Draco squeezed my hand. I felt my heart pounding my my chest.

“You dare-“ Voldemort snarled.

“Yes I dare,” Harry said. “I know things you don’t, Tom Riddle. Want to hear some before you make another big mistake?”

“Is it love again?” Voldemort jeered. “Dumbledore’s favorite solution, love, which he claimed conquered death. Love did not prevent me from stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter. Love did not prevent that blood traitor Romano and the rest of the people here from dropping dead. Nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse-“

“I do,” I said fiercely, letting go of Draco’s hand and going forth. I stood right in front of Harry. Voldemort laughed. 

“Love cannot save you this time, Potter,” Voldemort said. “Step aside, girl, before I kill you like I did his Mudblood mother. Before I bring death to you like I did to Albus Dumbledore.” 

Harry stepped out from behind me and instead, stood next to me.

“You thought you did but you were wrong,” Harry said. “You didn’t him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant. And Jules can prove it.” 

Harry looked at me and nodded. He now knew I had known all along.

“He’s right,” I said. “Severus Snape wasn’t yours. He was Dumbledore’s-“

“-from the moment you began to hunt down my mother,” Harry said. “Didn’t he ask you to spare her life?”

“He desired her, that was all!” Voldemort said. “But when she had gone he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him-“

I laughed.

“Of course!” I said. “Of course he told you that. But he still remained Dumbledore’s spy...he and Dumbledore planned Dumbledore’s death together! Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him!”

“Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me!” Voldemort hissed. “He intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I understood that- I killed Severus Snape earlier tonight. The Elder Wand is now truly mine! Dumbledore’s last plan went wrong!”

”Dumbledore’s last plan hasn’t backfired on me at all,” Harry said. “It backfired on you, Riddle. The wand still isn’t working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore. The true master of the wand was Draco Malfoy! He disarmed Dumbledore!” 

I turned wildly to Draco, who stepped back fearfully. Voldemort laughed.

“I can attend to Draco Malfoy after I’ve killed you-“

“Too late,” Harry said. “I overpowered Draco Malfoy weeks ago. I took his wand from him. I am the true master of the Elder Wand.”

It all happened to quickly. Draco lunged forward and pulled me back just as Harry tried to disarm Voldemort and Voldemort shot a Killing Curse at him. 

The two jets of light collided with each other.

”GO HARRY!” I screamed. “YOU CAN DO IT!”

Voldemort faltered. He knew he could not win. Harry’s spell overpowered his. The Killing Curse rebounded on Voldemort and the Elder Wand flew into the air. Voldemort fell on the ground and was no more. Harry reached an arm up, and the Elder Wand landed right in his hand.

I rushed forward and hugged him so tight he could’ve been crushed. Hermione and Ron joined and made the hug bigger. The crowd was cheering. 

We had won. It was over.


	57. Epilogue

It was September 1st, 2017. 

I’m standing at the train station, Draco’s arm around me. My hand hands down, clutching the hand of my 8 year old daughter Sophia Emilia Malfoy. She has my brown hair and Draco’s blue eyes. 

”Mum this sweater is MUCH too tight,” the boy in front of me says. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy is 11, and the second of my children to go to Hogwarts. 

“Scorpius you’re wearing it backwards,” Draco says, smirking. 

“Oh woops didn’t notice that,” he said. He’s the spitting image of Draco, and is a lot more shy than his little sister and older brother.

”Dad, James says he bets I won’t grow taller than you by the end of this year,” my firstborn, Joseph Rogelio Malfoy pipes up. 

“And I agree with him,” Draco said. “I didn’t get this tall til sixth year- and you’re barely in third.” 

“Oh come on, I can just MAKE a potion-“

”Joseph I forbid you from doing that,” I said. “Last time you tried to make yourself grow you ended up shrinking to the size of a penny. Remember?”

Joseph smirked. He looks like a younger, boy version of me. He’s inherited my love of Alchemy, but his impulsiveness leads to inaccuracy. 

“Well what if this time I neutralize it with sugar?” He asked. I shook my head.

”You need to add some green tea leaves for that,” I said. “You still can’t do it. Let your body grow naturally.” 

“Aw Mum you’re no fun,” Joseph said. 

“Maybe not but I am your mother,” I said. He shrugged. He looks so much like my father. 

“Good morning,” a voice says from behind. Ginny wrapped her arms around me.

”Missed you this weekend!” She said. “Did you really have to stay that late?” 

“Well bald people are really anxious for my remedy to come out,” I said. “I don’t like to disappoint.” 

“You work too much,” Ginny said. “Hello, Sophia.”

”Hey aunt Ginny,” Sophia said, hugging her. Lily Luna Potterr squealed and ran out from around Ginny and tapped Sophia on the shoulder.

”Tag! You’re it!” She said. Sophia giggled and began chasing Lily.

”Not too close to the tracks!” I called. Then I was tackled by more hugs.

”Hello James and Albus,” I said. 

“Hey aunt Jules- want to see what I did this summer?” James asked. 

“Alright show me,” I said. James pulled out a little vial and showed me three rather large goldfish swimming in it.

”Oh James you didn’t feed them that thing Joseph made, did you?” I asked. He shrugged and ran off. Joseph and James were best friends, in case you couldn’t tell. Scorpius came over to Albus.

”I’m nervous,” Albus said.

”How come?” Scorpius asked.

”I don’t want to end up in Slytherin,” Albus said. Harry came over and frowned.

”Nothing is wrong with Slytherin!” Scorpius said. “My dad was in it, and he’s nice! I hope I end up in Slytherin, cause Joseph is in Ravenclaw and Delphi was in Gryffindor. Then I can be like dad and add to the diversity of the Houses we end up in.” I laughed. Harry came over and hugged Albus. 

“Albus I will be proud of you no matter what house you end up in,” Harry said. 

“Oh alright,” Albus said. He smiled.

“How’s Delphi?” Harry asked. 

”She’s good,” I replied. “Currently doing an internship in France.” 

“Is her hair teal now?” Harry asked. “Teddy said they made a pact to dye their hair the same color.”

”Yep it’s teal,” I said. 

When the war had ended, Draco had asked me to marry him. Three years later he’d become an Auror, and I in fact had begun working with other Potioneers and Alchemists to create remedies and other useful concoctions. I was on the verge of creating a potion that could make a person shapeshift. A short while afterward we decided we would help Narcissa and Lucius raise Delphi. She became out first child. She was a very proud “big sister” when Joseph was born in 2004- when she was 6. She’d gone to Hogwarts with Teddy Lupin and they’d become best friends- both of them being sorted into Gryffindor. When Victoire (Bill and Fleur’s daughter) came by the next year and was also sorted into Gryffindor, they’d become a troublemaking trio. Just last year Delphi and Teddy graduated. 

Harry laughed.

”It’s funny to think it’s almost been 20 years since we were last on this platform,” he said. I nodded.

”It’s been forever,” I said. 

“We’re here!” A voice called. I turned and saw Hermione and Ron with their two kids: 11 year old Rose and 9 year old Hugo. 

“Aren’t you late,” I said with a laugh. “I said to be here at 10:30 to have a chance to get all the incoming first years prepared.”

”It’s 10:33, Jules!” Ron groaned. I smirked. 

“Aunt Jules, where’s Scorpius and Albus?” Rose asked.

”Over there darling,” I said. She smiled and went with them. 

“They’re really starting this year, aren’t they?” Hermione said.

”Yep. The next Golden Trio,” I said. 

“Sorry we’re late!” Another voice said. 

Fred and Angelina ran in with their 15 year old daughter Marie and their 12 year old son George.

”Ahh, you guys,” I said.

”I did arrive earlier than George though!” Fred said proudly. 

Next through the barrier entered George and Clarisse, with their 12 year old son Fred and their little 6 year old Chloe (named after Clarisse’s mum). 

“And you are all- except for Ginny and Harry- the worst at keeping track of time,” I said. 

“Oh come on we had good business this morning!” Fred said. 

“Lots of Hogwarts students coming in to buy their supplies for the year, bless them,” George said. 

“If our children get expelled, we will know why,” Angelina said. 

I turned and saw Seo Jin entering, with Anthony and to my great surprise, Celeste and Gideon.

”I haven’t seen you two in forever!” I squealed, running to hug them. Neither pair had children but they came to say goodbye to ours anyway.

”We just moved back about a month ago,” Celeste said. “America has been so hectic lately- the Muggles are getting a little wild with these little boxes they call- what was it Gideon? Eye-Prones.”

”IPhones,” Gideon said. “They put them up to their ear and talk to themselves for HOURS on them, even when they drive! They’re obsessed with them!” 

“Well at any rate I’m glad you’re back,” I said. 

The train horn honked. 

“Time to go!” I heard Scorpius say excitedly. He came up to me and hugged me.

”Mum what if I don’t like it?” He asked.

”You will like it,” I said. “I absolutely loved it.” 

“Joseph said that I can flush myself down the toilet and come back home if I want to,” Scorpius said. I flashed a look at Joseph, who suddenly pretended to be having a very important conversation with Draco. 

“That’s not true, dear,” I said. “It will be fine.” 

Scorpius smiled. I bent down to kiss his forehead. He ran onto the train, Albus and Rose following him. Draco came to stand next to me, and Joseph waved goodbye. 

“Aren’t you going to kiss your mother goodbye?” Draco asked. Joseph smiled meekly and came back.

”What, too old to be kissed by his mum?” I asked, hugging him and kissing his forehead.

”Aw mum you know it’s not like that,” Joseph said. I smiled.

”Don’t tell your brother mean things, ok? Be nice,” I said. 

“Do I have to?” He asked. I nodded.

”Oh alright. Bye mum, bye dad!” He said as he entered the train. Sophia ran up. 

“Hey big girl,” Draco said, picking her up. I smiled and saw Scorpius and Joseph sticking their faces to a window and waving goodbye. 

“Think they’ll be alright?” I asked. 

“I think they will be,” Draco said. “Who knows? Maybe they’ll even meet their future wives in their first class like I did.”


End file.
